# Social Security cards **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 12, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720 "2000-10-12T20:30:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/1 "2000-10-12T20:30:50Z")
Going through my wallet today, the following thought occurred to me… **Why do Social Security cards state: "void if laminated?"** Have they ever changed this rule? Seems rather odd to expect a person to carry that little piece of paper around for approximately 75+ years, without it inadvertently becoming mauled. Mine is the original, which I have had as long as I can remember, and it’s in very good condition. I am 30 years old. Who knows how much longer it may last, though. P.S. If something happens to your SS card, can you get a brand new one with _same_ number, providing you present your proper identifications? ---
**Author:** ![scratch1300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/2 "2000-10-12T20:47:02Z")
I got two separate replacements for my SS card. Of course, as soon as I did, I re-discovered my old card that I had misplaced! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![scratch1300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/3 "2000-10-12T20:49:49Z")
…and, oh yeah, it was the \*same[i/] number! ---
**Author:** ![retsin2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@retsin2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/retsin2000)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/4 "2000-10-12T21:36:09Z")
That’s funny. Mine doesn’t say it is void if laminated. I pulled mine out because I stuck it between two sheets of clear contact paper several years ago and you got me wondering if I had voided my card. I’m only a couple of years older than MSK and also have my original card. I wonder when the added / subtracted the lamination rule. ---
**Author:** ![D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/5 "2000-10-12T22:01:47Z")
Hmm…the wife and I just went through the cards for our kids. Our 18 year olds says not to laminate, but the other kids, aged 16, 15, and 2 don’t say anything about it… ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/6 "2000-10-13T02:06:13Z")
Obviously your 18 year old had a little run-in with the Laminatrix 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/7 "2000-10-13T02:18:14Z")
I have just examined my original SS card (egad, that makes me sound like some sort of nazi) that I got in 1965. It is annotated Form OA-702 Rev (9-61) (I think - a bit hard to read that part). Nowhere is lamination mentioned. Am I really posting this? ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/8 "2000-10-13T02:23:19Z")
I laminated mine! Ohhhh Noooo! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/9 "2000-10-13T03:14:47Z")
I have one like **beatle’s**. Got it in '62. And, _aarrgghhh!_ somewhere along the line I had it laminated. Good thing no one has asked to see it in 38 years. Why am I still carrying it? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/10 "2000-10-13T03:42:36Z")
> [@](#): > > Why am I still carrying it? > -_samclem_ Because when the Jackbooted Thugs ™ come, that is how they shall know you. Oh yeah, it’s the Mark of the Beast, the Secret Identification Number for the Aliens from Krylon, and the Pyramid Room Number you will occupy when the Military-Industrial-Illuminati Conspiricy Complex comes to power. Oh, and some of you freaks use it as an ID number and hand it out like syphilis to anyone who cares to ask for it. ---
**Author:** ![wolf189](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c67d28/32.png) [@wolf189](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf189)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/11 "2000-10-13T04:12:30Z")
… i disitinctly remember my original card stating clearly “VOID IF LAMINATED” (loudly too apparently) but i just checked my recently acquired replacement card (original card was kidnapped (cardnapped) by my cats as punishment for making them endure the anguish of 2 moves in 4 months (moral imperative: follow the paycheck) and has not been seen since the last move, nor do i hold out any hopes for it’s eventual return) and there is no sign of the previous card’s stern warning against lamination. Dunno why they would void a card just cause you laminate it, and not sure what exactly the punishment for lamination would be (maybe they’d make you have to deal with my cats for a few days?). wolf189 (intrigued) ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/12 "2000-10-13T10:02:26Z")
Man the United States is weird. Up here in Canada our Social Insurance cards are plastic, and have been for decades. Of course, the first driver’s license I got (I was living in Quebec at the time) was a piece of paper. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/13 "2000-10-13T11:24:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Barbarian \* > \*\*Man the United States is weird. Up here in Canada our Social Insurance cards are plastic, and have been for decades. \*\* Man, North America is weird. Norway doesn’t use cards at all 😃 You get your social insurance number in a letter, and just memorize the number. And it’s not that hard because the first six digits are your birthdate. Of course, this means you can’t lie to your doctor or your employer about your age, if that’s important to you… ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/14 "2000-10-13T14:09:03Z")
The Social Security Act (42 USCA) provides that the Commissioner of Social Security shall issue a social security card to each individual at the time of the issuance of a social security account number to such individual. The card shall be made of banknote paper, and (to the maxiumum extent practicable) shall be a card which cannot be counterfeited. As the Act was amended by Public Law 104-28, 9/30/96, the Commissioner was authorized and directed to develop a prototype of a counterfeit-resistant card, which shall be made of a durable, tamper-resistant material such as plastic or polyester; employ technologies that provide security features, such as magnetic stripes, holograms, and integrated circuits; and shall be developed so as to provide individuals with reliable proof of citizenship or legal resident alien status. There is no provision against laminating. ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/15 "2000-10-13T16:22:30Z")
I obtained my SS card back in 1961 and haven’t seen it for over 30 years. It’s not the card (in most cases), it’s the number ON the card which I have memorized. The only case (I can think of) in which the card itself has a purpose is when it used is to satisfy the INS form I-9. It is one of several documents proving you are eligible for employment in the USA. For this purposes (I assume) the SS card may not be used if it has been laminated. In this case, you must use one of the other listed documents. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/16 "2000-10-13T16:39:55Z")
**Just make sure you’ve memorized it correctly. \*\* I hadn’t had my SS card for about 6 years, and I’d always had it memorized as XXX-XX-XX** 68\*\*. However, when I was applying for financial aid for college, I received my FAFSA back saying “sorry, you are not a US citizen.” Needless to say, I was shocked! My driver’s license had the 68 number on it, my bank account did too. Actually, I used my bank statement to verify my SS# when I got my first driver’s license…that was a mistake. Anyway, I called the SS department, and they informed me that my SS# was XXX-XX-XX6 **0**. Just one digit off. Apparently, when I was younger, my mom had looked at the card, saw the 0 with a slash as an 8, and memorized it that way. When I asked my number, she told me that. I’d managed to go through 18 years of my life with an incorrect social security number, with it on official state and federal documents, INCLUDING MY DRAFT CARD! So if you haven’t seen your card in years…go get a replacement and make sure. Jman ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/17 "2000-10-13T16:41:01Z")
I had to call the IRS about my taxes. They asked for my SSN, which they then looked up from the SSA’s database. To verify that I was who I said I was, they asked for my birthdate. “October 28, 1964,” I replied. Silence, then a little hemming and hawing. “That’s not what Social Security has,” IRS guy finally replied. “They have _November_ 28, 1964.” I told him that I have an official copy of my birth certificate, which says 10/28/64. He believed me, and we finished our business. He then gave me a number to call to get my info corrected. But they in turn told me that I had to go in person to a SSA office. Fortunately, there’s one right down the street from my house. Unfortunately, I basically have to a) reapply and b) wait with the dozens of other SS applicants. Maybe I’ll just work one more month past my retirement age. It’ll be a lot simpler. :D:D ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/18 "2000-10-13T16:49:06Z")
I went to the DPS a couple weeks ago, and was required to show my SS card in order to renew my drivers licence. My card has the lamination warning, but I laminated it anyway. The fine :rolleyes: people at the DPS didn’t say a word about it. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/19 "2000-10-13T16:52:12Z")
I decided to see if I could get info from SSA again about correcting my birthdate. I did, and they said it was correct. So I guess the IRS’s software misread my data from SSA. _ **So I’m still a Scorpio! Yea!** _ ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720/20 "2000-10-13T17:04:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MagicalSilverKey \* > \*\*P.S. If something happens to your SS card, can you get a brand new one with _same_ number, providing you present your proper identifications? \*\* Yes, you will ALWAYS get the same SS number. It is yours forever. I have been through several name changes (marriage, divorce, re-marriage) and still have the same SS number. And yes, they (SSA) will always provide you with a replacement for FREE. When my kids were born, I got info in the hospital about a company that would file the papers, for $15 or $20, to get the SS# for me, made it seem like I had to do it through them, but all it takes is the birth certificate and a quick visit to the SS office. No charge. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/social-security-cards/36720.md?page=2)