Social Security records

When the records begin

The first applications were handed out in late 1936. The original form, which SSA shows on its history site, told employees to fill it out and return it to the local postmaster no later than December 5, 1936. SSA says it did not begin keeping records until November 1936 and cannot search for the number of anyone born before 1865.

A person who applied later used a later version of the form, and the questions changed over time. If your ancestor was a child or not working in the 1930s, the application may date from the 1940s, 1950s or even later.

What the 1936 SS-5 asks

The original 1936 form, which SSA shows on its history site, asks for the employee's first, middle and last name, with an instruction for married women to give their maiden first name, maiden last name and husband's last name. It asks for the street address and post office, the business name and address of the present employer, age at last birthday, date of birth, place of birth, father's full name, and mother's full maiden name.

It also asks sex and color, with boxes for White and Negro and a line for other, whether the person had registered with the U.S. Employment Service, and whether they had filled out a card like this before. At the bottom are the date signed and the employee's signature, as usually written. The form says the date of birth was subject to later verification, a reminder that the answers came from the applicant and were not checked against a birth record at the time.

The Numident and the original form

SSA describes the Numident as a computer extract of the SS-5. It is cheaper than a copy of the form, but it can leave things out. SSA warns that many Numident records for people born in 1910 or earlier are abbreviated records that do not contain the parents' names and may not contain the place of birth. For an ancestor born before about 1911, ask for the SS-5 itself.

The National Archives also holds Numident files from 1936 to 2007, with one record for every number assigned to a person with a verified death or who would have been over 110 years old by December 31, 2007. It has three kinds of entries: application, claim and death.

The Social Security Death Index

The death index is drawn from SSA's death information, known as the Death Master File. A St. Olaf College library guide lists what an entry may contain: last and first name, Social Security number, state where the number was issued, birth date, death date, last residence, and lump sum payment. The Boston Public Library notes that the index begins in 1935 but that most of its records date from 1962 on, and both libraries describe a widely used version that runs to 2014.

SSA itself says its records are not a comprehensive record of all deaths in the country. It receives death reports from family members, funeral homes, financial institutions, postal authorities, states and other federal agencies, and some deaths were never reported. A missing name does not prove the person was alive, and an entry may contain errors. SSA now provides the public file, also called the Limited Access Death Master File, through the National Technical Information Service under section 203 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.

When a search fails, the St. Olaf guide suggests swapping the day and month of a date, trying other years and spellings, and leaving out details you think you know.

How to order a copy

SSA accepts requests for a deceased person's SS-5 or Numident online through its FOIA Public Access Link or by mail, using Form SSA-711, to the Social Security Administration, OEIO, FOIA Workgroup, 6100 Wabash Ave, P.O. Box 33022, Baltimore, MD 21290-3022. As of September 2026, its FOIA page listed fees of $27 for a copy of the SS-5 and $26 for the Numident, plus $10 for certification. SSA will not process a request without exact payment, so check the current fee before you send it.

SSA releases a record only with written consent, with acceptable proof of death, or when the number holder is at least 100 with proof of death or more than 120 years old. Parents' names follow similar rules, so send proof of death for the parents too if you have it. Acceptable proof includes a public death record, a funeral director's statement, or a coroner's report. SSA is not always told of a death, so sending proof with the request can help.