How To Handle Your Social Security Card After A Marriage Or Divorce

Getting married is a huge event and it can change your life in many different ways. If you get married or you get divorced, you need to change the name on your Social Security card. Whenever you legally change your name you have to let Social Security know. It is crucial that they have updated information because if the names do not match you might not be able to get the Social Security benefits you are entitled to.

Changing the name on your Social Security card is easy and once you make the name change they will send you a new copy of your card with all of the correct information on it. You are going to have to prove your identity to get your new card and you will need the documents that prove who you are. You also need to prove your citizenship by providing an original or certified birth certificate. It is important that you have all of these papers or else you won’t be able to get your updated card.

You are also going to need to show proof of your marriage or divorce. You will need your marriage document or your divorce decree. You might also need to show your driver’s license. You can apply for your new card online or you can go to a Social Security office in person and apply for the card. It is more convenient to apply online, but it is faster to go to the office with your documents.

The only downside of going to the Social Security office is that the lines are huge and you usually have to wait for at least an hour. If you don’t like waiting you will want to stick with the online services. The Social Security office is popular and it is very crowded. You need to be prepared to wait when you go.

When you have a name change you don’t want to wait too long to get your new card because you won’t be able to get any benefits you are entitled to until your Social Security card is updated. Many people put off getting their new card and then they need to file for unemployment or disability benefits unexpectedly. If this happens you will have to wait until you get your name change straightened out before you can apply for your benefits.

Any name change needs to be processed right away and you don’t want to wait to get your name change taken care of. Your Social Security number is important and you don’t want any confusion with it which means you need to get your name change processed immediately when you have a change in your name. It doesn’t take a long time to do and the most difficult part is just getting the paperwork together and waiting in line at the Social Security office.

Before you leave to go to the office you have to make sure that you have all of the documents you need. You can print out the application and fill it out at home. If you are missing even one document you won’t be able to get your new card and you will have to start the process all over again which is going to take even more of your time. You will need to begin everything again and you will have to go back to the office with your documents.

 

If you want to make life easier you need to make sure that you have all of the paperwork you need and all of the documents you need to verify your identity and document your name change. You don’t want to take any chances with the Social Security office because they are going to carefully check for all of the documents you need. Once you have all of the documents taken care of you can go ahead and get your new card.

You don’t get your new card at the Social Security office. It comes in the mail. It takes about three weeks to come and you want to keep your eye out for it. If your new Social Security card gets stolen in the mail you could end up being a victim of identity theft and this can cause a lot of problems. If someone gets your Social Security number they can easily start opening loans in your name and this can lead to a lot of problems. You might end up owing money that you don’t even know about.

Many people who are victims of identity theft don’t even know about it until they start getting bills and calls from creditors. It can be very difficult to prove that you were a victim and you typically have to file a police report and jump through a lot of hoops to clear your name. Recovering from identity theft can be a long process and you want to try to avoid having this happen in the first place.

If is very important that you guard your card and that you monitor your credit reports. If you keep an eye on your credit reports you will know if anyone tries to take out a loan in your name. You don’t want to be a victim so be careful with your Social Security number. If a month has gone by and you still haven’t received your new card in the mail, you should report your card as stolen to the Social Security Administration. They will keep this note on file in case anything happens and they will then send you out a new card. There are a lot of identity thieves around and they will steal cards out of the mail. You need to be alert until you get your card.

Once your new Social Security card comes in the mail make sure that you keep it in a safe place. You don’t need to carry it around with you. Memorize the number and keep your card safe in a drawer so you always know where it is.