Anatomy of a Social Security Number

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Anatomy of a Social Security Number

By knowing just the first three digits of someone’s SSN, you can correctly guess their birth
state. The nine-digit SSN has
been used since 1936 to track a person’s wages for the purpose of accruing
benefits with the Social Security Administration. The SSN has 3 sections.

Area Numbers

The first three digits of
the SSN are called the area numbers.
This is because they originally corresponded to the state that a person
lived in at the time they were issued their SSN.

Beginning in 1972, the
area numbers began being assigned based upon the zip code in the mail address
to which the individual requested his or her card to be sent. Thus, it is possible for someone to reside in
one state but ask that the card be returned to another states, thus rendering
the area number less than area specific.

(Click the following image to enlarge it.)

Group Numbers

Digits four and five in
the SSN are referred to as group numbers.
They identify the block of numbers currently being issued. As an example, the SSNs 123-01-0001 through
123-01-999 would all be issued before moving on to the next group number.

Serial Numbers

Digits six through nine
are known as serial numbers. They are
issued consecutively from 0001 to 9999.

By dissecting someone’s
SSN you can learn the state in which they lived when they applied for the number
for those SSNs issued prior to 1972 and the state noted in the return address
for those applied for after 1972.

In some cases, letters may
appear after a social security number .
For example, I have a California death certificate that reports a social security number with an “A”
appended to the end of the number. For example:
“000-00-0000A.”

The Social Security
number followed by one of these codes is often referred to as a claim
number. The SSA assigns these codes once someone applies for
benefits. These letter codes may appear on correspondence from
Social Security or on a Medicare card. They will never appear on a Social
Security card.

For example, if the
wage earner applying for benefits and your number is 123-45-6789, then their
claim number is 123-45-6789A. This number is
also be used as their Medicare claim
number, once they become eligible for Medicare.

Code	Identification
A	Primary claimant (wage earner)
B	Aged wife, age 62 or over
B1	Aged husband, age 62 or over
B2	Young wife, with a child in her care
B3	Aged wife, age 62 or over, second claimant
B5	Young wife, with a child in her care, second claimant
B6	Divorced wife, age 62 or over
BY	Young husband, with a child in his care
C1-C9	Child – Includes minor, student or disabled child
D	Aged Widow, age 60 or over
D1	Aged widower, age 60 or over
D2	Aged widow (2nd claimant)
D3	Aged widower (2nd claimant)
D6	Surviving Divorced Wife, age 60 or over
E	Widowed Mother
E1	Surviving Divorced Mother
E4	Widowed Father
E5	Surviving Divorced Father
F1	Parent (Father)
F2	Parent (Mother)
F3	Stepfather
F4	Stepmother
F5	Adopting Father
F6	Adopting Mother
HA	Disabled claimant (wage earner)
HB	Aged wife of disabled claimant, age 62 or over
M	Uninsured – Premium Health Insurance Benefits (Part A)
M1	Uninsured – Qualified for but refused Health Insurance Benefits (Part A)
T	Uninsured – Entitled to HIB (Part A) under deemed or renal provisions; or Fully insured who have elected entitlement only to HIB
TA	Medicare Qualified Government Employment (MQGE)
TB	MQGE aged spouse
W	Disabled Widow
W1	Disabled Widower
W6	Disabled Surviving Divorced Wife