How to Check an Employee Social Security Number
Whether you are a sole proprietorship or small business owner with one employee or a large corporation with hundreds, you will need the Social Security number (SSN) of each employee to prepare your Internal Revenue Service Form W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) or a 1099 for independent contractors. To avoid extra processing fees and inaccurate wage reporting, the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides an online employee Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS). This service is free and available to employers for the sole purpose of verifying a current or former employee's SSN---use is prohibited for credit or identity verification purposes outside of employment.
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Things You'll Need
- Employee's Social Security number
- Employee's full name
- Your company Employer Identification number (EIN)
- Your company address
Instructions
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Launch the SSA Business Services Online Web site in your Web browser. (See Resources.)
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Click "Register" to register online with SSNVS. A new screen will appear.
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Enter your business name, address, phone number and EIN in the corresponding text boxes. Choose and enter a password and then wait for SSNVS to verify your business information. A new screen will appear with your SSNVS-assigned user ID, the password you selected and a log-in expiration date.
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Save your displayed user ID, password, and log-in expiration date for future reference. You can use this log-in information for future employee SSN verifications until it expires.
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Launch the SSA Business Services Online Web site in your Web browser again. Click "Log In" and log in using your SSNVS user ID and password.
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Select "Request Access and Activation Code" to have your activation code mailed to the company address you provided during registration. The activation code is mailed to the company address as further verification of your SSNVS eligibility.
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Launch the SSA "Business Services Online" Web site in your Web browser again, when you have received your activation code via mail. Click "Log In" and log in using your SSNVS user ID and password. Then enter your activation code. You can now use SSNVS to verify employee Social Security numbers through the expiration date you received upon registration.
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References
Resources
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