How To Contact The Social Security Office For A Name Change

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In this community resource guide, I will explain how to contact the Social Security office to get a name change.

To change your name, you’ll need to contact the Social Security office. You’ll want to contact Social Security for a name change to have your information updated, get a new Social Security card, and so you can receive your retirement benefits.

Keep reading for instructions on how to contact Social Security and change your name.

How To Change Your Name With The Social Security Office

You can do this in two ways:

When applying for a name change you will need to prove things like your name change, identity, and citizenship. I will go over these in detail as well as the documents needed to prove these things in the next sections.

3 Things You Will Need To Prove To Have Social Security Change Your Name

In order to get a name change with Social Security, you will need to prove 3 things which are:

Prove that you had a legal name change.

Show documents that prove your identity.
Finally, you’ll need to prove citizenship.

There are various documents that the Social Security office will require in order for you to get a name change. In the following sections, I will list the documents needed to prove your name change, your identity, and citizenship.

Documents Needed To Prove Your Legal Name Change

The Social Security office asks that you show one of the following documents if you have legally changed your name:

A marriage document.
Your divorce decree.

Show a court order for your name change.
Provide a certificate of naturalization that displays your new name.

Again, the documents above can be used to prove your name change. In the following section, you can find acceptable documents to prove your identity.

Documents Needed To Prove Your Identity To Social Security For A Name Change

The Social Security Administration will accept the following documents to prove your identity:

A driver’s license.
US passport.

A state ID. This does not have to be a driver’s license.

Any document that you show to prove your identity must: 1.) not be expired, 2.) show your name, 3.) have a picture of you.

Secondary documents that Social Security will accept if you need to change your name include:

A school ID
Your healthcare insurance card.
A military ID card.

Your job ID.

Documents Needed To Prove Your US Citizenship If You Are Trying To Change Your Name With Social Security

The last thing that you will need to prove is your citizenship. The documents that the Social Security Administration will accept are:

Your US birth certificate.

An unexpired US passport.
A certificate of naturalization or citizenship.
US Consular report of birth abroad.

Download A Social Security Name Change Form

To change your name with Social Security you can download the application for a Social Security card.

How To Fill Out A Social Security Name Change Form

To complete a Social Security name change form you will need to first download the application for a Social Security card.

On this application you can do the following:

Apply for an original Social Security card.
Replace a lost Social Security card.
Change the name on your Social Security card.

If you are changing the name on your Social Security card, you will need to prove that you changed your name, prove your identity, and citizenship. The Social Security name change form will list the exact documents that are needed to prove these things.

To complete a name change application with Social Security, you will need to provide the necessary supporting documents and answer all of the questions on the application.

Below are some of the questions that will be asked on the Social Security name change application:

Information Needed	Description
Name	Enter your first, middle, and last name on the Social Security application.
Social Security Number	You will need to enter your 9 digit Social Security number on this application as well.
Place Of Birth	The city, state, or country you were born in is needed.
Date Of Birth	Enter your birthdate in the following format: MM/DD/YYYY
Citizenship	You have the choice of choosing a US citizen, Legal Alien allowed to work, a Legal alien not allowed to work, or other.
Ethnicity And Race	With ethnicity, you either answer yes or no to being Hispanic/Latin. As for race you can choose between Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native, Asian, American Indian, Black/African American, Other Pacific Islander, White
Parents Information	Enter your mother and father’s names and Social Security numbers. There is a box for unknown if you do not know their SS number.
Mailing Address	Enter your current mailing address.
Your Signature	Finally, you will sign the Social Security application.

Here is a picture of what the Social Security application looks like.

How To Fill Out A Social Security Name Change Form

How Do I Change My Name With Social Security After Marriage?

If you were recently married and need to change your name with Social Security, you can either:

Conclusion

To change your name with the Social Security office you have two options:

Whether you are needing to change your name after marriage or for some other reason, you will still need to prove things like your legal name change, your identity, and your citizenship. Earlier in this article, we provided you with a list of acceptable documents that Social Security will accept as proof of your identity.

If you have questions about how a Social Security name change works you can learn more by visiting the SSA website.

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Nick Bryant

Nick Bryant is the author of Understanding Healthcare Is Half The Battle and a Senior Counselor with 13+ years of experience working in community health and mental health. He enjoys spending time with his family, watching WWE on Friday nights, and working toward a Google Data Analytics certification. If you have additional questions about community resources or government assistance programs, simply leave a comment below and he will follow up as soon as possible.