Losing your social security card is a scary experience. It’s a bad idea to keep it in your wallet or anywhere that isn’t secure, because not only is your social security number very sensitive information, but it’s pretty rare that you need your social security card.

In fact, you aren’t legally required to have one. Most places that want proof of identity will take other documents, such as a birth certificate. Regardless, you may still want to get a social security card replacement.

It should be noted that you are limited to 10 social security card replacements throughout your life. Of course, that’s probably more than you’ll ever need! So, how do you go about getting a new social security card?

Gather Original Documents

Obviously, you will need to prove who you are to get a social security card replacement. The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires to prove your identity, age, and U.S. citizenship.

It’s very important that you present original documents, not photocopies or notarized copies. You can get certified copies of some of these documents through the agency that distributes them.

The following is a list of acceptable documentation. You will probably notice that many of them satisfy multiple requirements, but you still have to send in two separate documents.

Identity

  • Driver’s license
  • State-issued ID card
  • U.S. passport
  • Military ID card
  • Employee or school ID card
  • Health insurance ID card

Citizenship

  • U.S. birth certificate
  • U.S. passport

Date of Birth

The Social Security Administration generally only accepts a birth certificate for proof of age. But if you don’t have one, they can also accept one of the following:

  • U.S. passport
  • U.S. hospital record
  • Baptism record

Of course, none of these documents will be accepted if they are expired.

Fill Out the Required Forms

You can visit the SSA’s website to find the forms you’ll need for a social security card replacement. Then you can either print them out and bring them to the nearest SSA office or submit them online. You can only do this online if you have a U.S. mailing address and a driver’s license or identification card from certain states. Check with the SSA for details.

As you see, getting a replacement social security card is pretty easy! To put your mind at ease further, we recommend signing up with an identity monitoring service to alert you if something were to happen to your social security number. Check out our favorite identity protection providers at FindReviews.com.