Someone explain to me why we can’t laminate it.
I googled it, they say it might obscure security features which would mean it wouldn’t be accepted. They recommend a plastic case that can be removed.
Security features used to verify the validity get covered when you add a plastic film.
I’ve been asked for the number many times, of course, but I didn’t think I’ve ever had to show my physical card to someone in my entire life.
Every job I’ve had has made a copy of the card for payroll/tax purposes.
I’ve scanned my driver’s license but never my social security card!
And this is where the weirdness starts. I’m in Canada and early in I learned from a relative who was in government and finances told me that your SSN is only meant for the government and government services and nothing else.
Banks, companies or corporations do not need to see your SSN no matter what they say. The number was only ever supposed to be used with the government, taxation, government benefits and services.
Banks and companies just started using it as a shortcut to identify people and connect them to government services and taxation. But it was never a requirement, no matter what they said. It’s the banks and the companies job to verify who you are.
I started my bank accounts as a teen in the 90s and with a bit of help, I was able to start them without a submitting a SSN. Every job I had, I actively refused to submit a SSN and told them why which with a bit of arguing they agreed. Funny part is, even though I never submitted one, the bank and every major employer I had already had the number anyway.
Your employer pays a portion of your social security taxes and generally withholds your portion to give to the government on your behalf. How do they correctly do that without your social security number?
From the link you’ve provided.
Documents that may be used under “List C” of the I-9 to establish employment eligibility include:
- A U.S. Social Security card issued by the Social Security Administration
- birth certificate issued by the U.S. State Department
- Etc
I’ve had to provide the physical card at the start of most jobs I’ve had. What’s that form you fill out? I-9?
Looking at the list of required documents, I may have used a passport at some point as that appears to trump everything, but mine has long since expired and I haven’t been bothered to get a new one.
The jobs I’ve had have surgery been w9 or 1099
I needed two forms of ID for my current job and I used my license and passport
There are no security features on a ss card.
https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110201060
One or more of the following security features appear on SSN cards issued since 10/31/1983:
• Tamper-proof background
• Color-shifting ink
• Intaglio printing in some areas on the front of the card
• Latent image on the face of the card visible only when viewed at specific angles
• Red fluorescent nine-digit alphanumeric number on back (beginning February 1996)
• Intaglio microtext in signature line (when magnified, the line is actually letters spelling out SOCIAL SECURITY)
• Yellow, pink, and blue planchettes (small discs) randomly displayed on the front and back of the card
• Anti-copy pattern that is discernable when the card is photocopied
• For original cards, a dash in each column on the same line as the SSN
• Date the card is issued [i.e., Cycle Date (CYD) from the Numident] is printed under the signature line on the face of the card (beginning April 2007).
That’s interesting, I had no idea they modernized it.
But none of that is on in the photo. Mine doesn’t have that either. (Pre 1983)
Same. But mine still says not to laminate.
So glad I was born in ‘82 so I could avoid all this security stuff
You never had a job in your entire life?
I can’t say for the US. In Canada I’ve never had to show the card. Just say the number.
That’s a US ss card in the thumbnail. We’re obviously talking about the US
They weren’t disputing that it’s a US card though…
Just knowing the number has been enough for every job I’ve ever had. The only place that has ever cared about the physical card is the DMV.
They weren’t disputing that it’s a US card though…
Never said they did.
Sorry, I responded to the wrong comment. Meant for this to be to the comment above yours. Whoops.
You’ve had to present your physical social security card when accepting a job?? I have never and I’ve worked for a dozen different companies
Yes. For taxes. You work under the table or something? Lol
Never had to show the physical card myself either. Put the number in the online form and done. And yes I am taxed
Maybe it’s regional? They don’t ask for my card in Michigan. But I do need to present it for a few things done at the SOS office. That’s the DMV in Michigan.
That’s possible. Pretty sure it’s for state and federal taxes though.
You don’t necessarily need to present your Social Security card as far as I know - I linked to what I think are the requirements below. I used my birth certificate and driver’s license at my current job, for example. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
I mean, when every place specifically asks for your social and ID, yeah you do necessarily need to present it.
I ain’t carrying my birth certificate around with me.
You shouldn’t be carrying your social security card around with you either.
There are other forms of id that are valid; for most jobs I’ve provided my driver id and my passport
I believe the primary reason is that there are counterfeiting counter measures, and if you laminated it, it would make it hard to use verification methods that allow you to make sure it’s a real one. They want to know that it is not copied, altered, or otherwise illegally fabricated.
Also, it should be noted that this is an identification card that can allow you to do crazy things like apply for official documents and loans. This number is extremely helpful for people wanting to steal your identity. I believe the idea is that if you lose it, it should degrade and disintegrate so you can get a new one without worrying that your identity will be stolen. Although, this is just my speculation.
Also, you’re not really supposed to carry it around with you, the ideas that you would put this in a safe document storage place until you need it for something specific.
because i said so
-Gov’ment
I laminated mine, never had an issue.
Punish me, daddy government
presumably to be able to verify it’s the correct material/has the right anti-counterfeiting stuff?
And also how one can unlaminate it (asking for a friend)
Stick it in your microwave oven on high for about 10 minutes.
The intent is for it to completely disintegrate by the time you need to claim benefits and can’t remember your SSN.
j/k, the completely disintegrating part is true, the last part is that there won’t be any SSN benefits by the time Gen Y and later gets around to retiring.
There will be benefits. Congress has at least five courses of action they can take but will just leave it till the last minute for drama and to make people vote.
The whole design of the SS system is that current workers pay benefits for current retirees. The trust fund was created later in preparation for retiring boomers.
At worst, it goes back to the original system and benefits get reduced to match what workers are putting in. That might be as high as a worst case 20% reduction, but it’s not going to go away entirely. As others have mentioned, even that is completely avoidable.
This is right wing rhetoric meant to convince people that cuts to social programs are needed as a way to make social services solvent, fyi.
Social security is funded by the current tax payers, taxes were raised so that the social security could have some extra money to buy us bonds, allowing them to cash in those bonds later when boomers retire en masse. Eventually the bonds will be gone and social security will be ‘insolvent’ but this is ok! Social security is always being paid into and social security can be paid out with general funds, or by increased tax rates, or by increasing the cap on SS taxes.
There is not actually any indication that social security is going anywhere other than Republican fear mongering.
You can. This is a myth.
Try using a laminated ss card to get a drivers license. (Real ID).
I obviously did and there was zero issues.
Interesting in Minnesota they would not accept it
The only thing anyone’s ever done with it is photocopy it. Lamination doesn’t affect that at all.
There’s no “security measures” on mine. Maybe there is on more recent ones though.
I was born in the seventies. So not much in the way of security there. Maybe the newer ones have something for security and it’s just a blanket policy.
Not to defend the social security number system (because it’s terrible for unique identification of individuals and when it was created it wasn’t even intended to be used for that purpose) but you’re not supposed to carry it around with you all the time. It’s supposed to be in a drawer/safe/fireproof bag with the rest of your important documents, and only brought out when you need it.
Why make it a card then? If it’s meant to be stored as a document then it should be the size of an envelope, or a standard A4 sheet.
I keep mine attached to the envelope sized paper it came on. But it shouldn’t be a card shape, that encourages people to carry it. My grandpa always carried his.
Idk. Maybe because there’s only a few pieces of info on it. Someone would say “why do you need to use a whole sheet of paper for just this?”
Don’t mention A4 paper, it scares the Americans. If any of them could read, they would be very afraid right now.
Hey now, I can read…but, what’s this A4 paper you speak of?
8/11.5 but more metric
sips tea and extends pinky
Am I doing metric right?
Actually no, the Brits shit on us for it but by most approaches they’re actually even worse than we are
The bruvs be usin’ STONE out here and acting like they get to crack wise
You mean 8.5/11?
8/11.5
Not sure if a joke or an actual paper size
Actually a size. More commonly referred to as “letter” sized. It’s 8x11.5 inches, which is pretty close to A4, but it’ll confuse printers if you mix the 2 up.
but it’ll confuse printers if you mix the 2 up.
So far all printers I’ve seen can switch between both. The real problem is your Writer/Word document, because after the slight reformatting it’s now all over the place.
It’s actually 8.5x11 not 8x11.5
More Square root, you mean!
It’s a size of paper with an aspect ratio of 1:√2, and the short edge that is 21cm long. The long edge will then be 21√2 = 29.7cm. The aspect ratio has the interesting property that it can be halved and doubled while remaining constant.
This has been your ISO fact of the day.
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ISO 7304-2:2008 defines a standard for cooking spaghetti. Subsection 3.9 “Completeness” closely resembles “al denté” but isn’t true al denté; as 3.9 states “no white core visible” when a noodle is inspected crosswise with a razor blade. Al denté phase is sensed via the teeth for texture differential of the inner and outer part of a spaghetti. No agreement has been reached by international consortium of Italian food preparers and dentists as to which tooth is to be used. Thus, the standard must be reviewed every 5 years by sensory analysis.
This week on “Things Non-Americans Think Americans Don’t Know About!”
Right?
Like just because we export all our media to you (because it’s better) and make fun of our stereotypes in that media, doesn’t mean that most of us are like that. Believe it or not we actually have cool stuff that’s uniquely American.
And the reason you see Kraft singles is because we don’t want to share our BBQ with you.
export all our media to you (because it’s better)
Lmao. Get back to me when you’ve got something like Taskmaster, Would I Lie To You, or QI.
You’re proving my point though? Those all look like C rate game shows that show up in the worst time slots here in the states.
If you said Doctor who, like 15 years ago, then I’d give you a solid maybe.
American here, you’re straight up wrong. We have no equivalent to their panel shows. Comparing them to game shows is like comparing open heart surgery to being stabbed.
look like
Yeah that’s an American problem. Preferring a glossy looking garbage over something non-glamorous but substantial.
FYI I’m neither American nor European.
We can’t do everything for you guys. We’re holding down the imperial system almost single handedly. Help a brother out.
America has the Squid Games reality show and Mr Beast. They’re kind of like Taskmaster if the point of Taskmaster was dangling life changing money in front of poor people.
They’re nothing like Taskmaster then lmao.
A4
Is that a type of rifle? I’ll take 12!
You’ll get either 8 ½ or 11 and you’ll like it.
Today I’m going to use paper to feel superior to someone else.
Amateur, we professionals don’t have to use anything for that
To be fair, simply not having to live in the US already gives that rush.
Using entirely reasonable standards that most of the rest of the world has adopted is too hard for us for some reason.
I’ve lost my place to stay more than I’ve lost my wallet.
For real. Mine’s about 40 years old and still looks pretty mint.
Every time ya try to fix the NatID problem though suddenly it’s a surveillance state system and not just an efficient nexus for federal services and permissions.
There are some people who don’t want a national ID system because they think that’s like a biblical prophecy. Somehow those people are still allowed to operate heavy machinery.
Some people don’t want it because they don’t want a functional government.
Ain’t that the truth. Fuckin’ lunatics.
That’s the thing. At this point, anything that could replace ssn cards will be much more technical and much more invasive.
oooo yeah my ID card is so invasive, it has my birth date and a photo on it!
Does it even matter when data brokers already know everything about you and happily sell that info?
People freak about national IDs while happily giving all their info to websites like amazon or facebook. It’s insane.
No, it would be less technical since it would cut down the number of cards you have to carry around, and be less invasive since it would drastically raise the difficulty of identity theft
Eh… You guys all use credit cards anyway
They voluntarily put webcams in their houses with several known security issues which transmit everything open in the cloud. And they purposefully have a listening device which transmits to Amazon whatever they talk about in order to be able to listen to music without having to use a mouse or tap on a screen.
But having an ID with a photo on it? That’s where they put the line
I’m getting “wallet” vibes which should absolutely not be where one keeps important documents. I had mine in a shoe box under my bed as a teen and it survived unscathed.
Heck, I have a 15 year old free pizza stamp card from a shop that permanently closed in better condition. Haha!
Edit: someone came through and downvoted every comment for the heck of it? Haha! Youuu get an updoot, and yooou get an updoot… etc.
Hopefully you’ll get to cash in that stamp card one day! Give it another 15 years.
Slip it into one of the thicker plastic baseball card sleeves. It’s a perfect fit, can be easily pulled out, and provides excellent protection.
Mine is still in the envelope it came in nearly 40 years ago and is still attached to the perforated paper card. Why carry it with you and destroy it? I’ve never on a whim needed to show it to anyone.
Edit: missed a word.
Yep. There’s no reason to carry this around with you on the daily. Stick it in a file in a safe file box of some sort. I can’t remember the last time someone asked for a physical SS card…maybe when we applied for my kids’ passports? No idea.
Maybe OP applies for a lot of jobs and is brown enough to be told they need to actually see it? Iunno
Canada issues their SSN cards in hard plastic, which IME is far superior to any credit card plastic. It’s been in my wallet since 1990 and while it looks old, it’s in better shape than almost all of my credit cards - none of which are older than 5 years.
Get married and change your last name! You’ll get a brand new one. Works for men too, trust me!
You don’t even have to get married just file name change paperwork
Or, you can just order a new one without changing your name.
Or you could get a social security card with the name Turd Ferguson on it. I mean, if you’re already going through the trouble of doing paperwork, what’s a little more?
Somebody laminated my birth certificate. But what are they going to do about it, unborn me? Wait… will they?
They could make you go get another one when you try to use it, which is a pain in the ass.
How often are you even using your death certificate? I mean, yeah, the discount at Disneyworld is a sweet deal, but otherwise?
That’s how zombies are created.
We’ve really gotta regulate these laminators.
Never going to happen. The lamination lobby has deep pockets.
What is
deadlaminated may never die.“Comimg soon: RE-LAMINATOR!”
Why do people downvote posts like this? What’s the problem? It’s funny, true, and in the right community.
Sometimes, I try to swipe to go back and accidentally up or downvote things.
Some people just downvote for weird reasons, so I figure it’s not worth worrying about. Someone once told me they were downvoting every post I share that has bright colors because they use dark mode… Lol
Sometimes I feel an odd catharsis from simply existing on the internet, and this comment captures a lot of why
They were letting you know you have brite ideas!
I always flip a coin for whether I upvote or downvote. It’s not really about trying to make a decision, I’m just trying to get my thumbs in shape for that thumb wrestling tournament I have coming up.
Because they are being stupid. You are not supposed to carry it with you. You only take it when you need to for something like the DMV. Otherwise it should just be filed away. A social security card is NOT ID.
Thanks for the link! The last time I looked into replacing my long lost SSA card the government was much less “online” and it was going to involve spending money and traveling long distances. Thanks to you, I’m expecting a letter from SSA in the next few weeks to confirm my ID, and then I’ll get a new card issued.
Lack of fiber in the diet
Except it’s not true. Social Security cards are useless for identification purposes. I haven’t seen my SS card in 30 years. I’ve never been asked for it or needed it in any way for at least that long. 
It’s funny, true, and in the right community.
That’s never stopped anybody before.
Seriously, more than once I’ve posted something completely benign, innocuous, and appropriate in a niche community that gets maybe one post a month, and that post receives a score of -10 or something. I don’t understand it, but if you want niche communities to thrive, you have to quit caring about downvotes.
Personally, I think that they should only have upvotes, because downvotes are a negative experience for users, and they’re too easy to game. You can have bots, sock puppets, you name it. And having a post with a negative score tells you nothing about why it has a negative score. Was it offensive? Who knows?
Some servers only allow upvotes. Some only show local downvotes, so it at least minimizes their impact.
Some people just need a reason to hate and avoid any personal accountability. They’ll take anything they can get, they’ve had a shitty day/year/life and somehow beating up on a faceless stranger feels morally acceptable to them. The truth is, they are in fact just awful people, looking to justify their shitty behavior by correcting grammar or downvoting a complete stranger. Trying their damndest to avoid looking in the mirror. Whilst the rest of us humans, have a shitty day but roll with it. Because if you can’t let it roll off, you will never be happy.
Yes, however
they are in fact just
awfulhurt peopleSome are less familiar with kindness than others.
I understand social security to mean paying into a state pension, a national healthcare service, and provision of education.
What does social security mean in the American context?
It pays the state pension which is good for a tiny fraction of retirement.
Depends what your spending is like. Someone who earns like 30K/year should get about 65% of their earning if they retire at 65. You’d have to save like another $1500/year (including company matches) to make up the difference.
If I kept working til I was like 70 and my pay only keeps up with inflation, I’d get about 130% of my spending via social security.
In the US Social Security is retirement income. SS tax comes out of every paycheck then when you retire you will get monthly income. So state pension but none of the other good stuff.
Irrelevant to the topic at hand. This is a social security card, which displays your social security number, which is the closest thing we have to a national ID. It is used for all things financial and for identity verification & background checks. If someone gets your name, address, and social security number, you can be in for a real bad time.
Which is unfortunately easy to do. There are some of those search sites that include SSNs on them. Haven’t seen one that detailed in a few years, but still. Just today I found a site that had addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and relatives. All accurate and all freely available, no registration required.
Especially when Equifax leaked nearly half of all Americans’ names, social security numbers, addresses, birthdays, and driver license number in 2017. That info is just out there and we can never remove it.
At least they were punishe… Hahahaha as if.
To add to the problem, social security was never meant to be an national ID number. It was just really useful for a whole lot of things. However, numbers are handed out sequentially, not randomly. So take your SIN and add or subtract one from it and that is another person’s SIN. Knowing just a few simple things about a person can reveal most if not their entire SIN.
When I was a food service manager I inexplicably had access to the social security numbers of everyone who had ever applied to work there. Thousands.
Oh no
It was originally just a number to track contributions to quasi-pension system. However, because it was the only number universally assigned to people, it stated getting used way more often, most notably for credit issuers and reporting agencies.
Depends on who you ask. For millennials and younger, it means paying lots of money into a service that will be dissolved before we get to tap into it.
It’s also a number that’s supposed to be kept secure or something, but applying for pretty much anything requires you to provide it.
Yeah, it became a sort of federal identification since the US government didn’t want to make a federal ID and now we are stuck with a much more inferior system than if they just did anything. Since everyone got a SS card it became the de facto ID.
Oh, you forgot the part where you are only allowed a fixed number of replacements in your lifetime.
10 in your life. 3 each year.
Why are you not allowed to laminate it?
That would make it much easier to fake it
How?
They can’t run it under a tap and see if it falls apart like a real one
That’s a joke right, not something American authorities do?
Yes. It’s a joke. But it is a special type of cardboard-like paper that they use, which is crappy to save money.
“This single plain-text string of characters defines your entire identity in the eyes of the government, creditors, health care, everything. Good luck keep it safe!”
Please don’t give your SSN to health care institutions, they don’t need it. They like to ask for it on their intake forms so that they can find you more easily if they need to send your debt to collections, but most will accept a blank entry anyways.
Plastic sleeve, boom problem solved, I’m 34 and I’ve only ever had one birth certificate because I keep it in a sleeve.
But hopefully y’all Americans can phase out the physical cards like we did in Canada.
There was a fad a long while ago where people would get their number stamped onto a metal card. Only ever got to see one of them after years working at a casino where we collected SSNs for jackpot payouts.
Where I live people just have the number memorized. Fairly easy when it’s just date-of-birth and some three numbers and a letter.
