The Social Security Card has an impressive history. When it started in 1936, it was a huge hit and in three months one card became 25 million cards. Before 1986, children below 14 weren’t given SS numbers, and the card was mainly used for income and taxation purposes. In 1986, the age limit lowered to 5 years and in 1990 it was dropped to 1 year. The age limit was abolished entirely shortly thereafter. Now the Social Security Number is demanded with the birth certificate.

The three different types of Social Security Cards are as follows.

• The most common card is the one given to U.S citizens and permanent residents. This card will have the card number and the owner’s name.
• The second type of the card is of a restricted type. It reads “Not Valid for Employment”, which means that it cannot be used as proof of work.
• The other type of restricted card reads “Valid for work only with DHS authorization.” This card can be used to look for work with the work authorization card. This card is given to temporary residents of the United States.

The purposes of the Social Security Card are as follows.

• Primarily it is for tracking individuals for monetary excise duties.
• Now the SS number has become the national identification number.
• It is the license to live, work and pay taxes that every American should possess.

How to obtain a Social Security Card?

Form SS-5 is the answer. The “Application for a Social Security Number Card” should be used.

The Social Security Card, an integral part of US life and culture, is vital and so is the knowledge about it.

It is true that in 1935 a law was passed to establish Social Security and under this law Social Security was being created as a retirement plan. For the most part what the law did was provide retirement benefits to the primary worker that was retiring. In 1939, this began to change when the law was amended and adjusted to also included survivor benefits, as well as additional benefits for the spouse and children of the retiree that was initially covered under the original Social Security law. In the year l956, Social Security was further expanded, yet again. This time it was to aid and support the disabled. This was done with the addition of Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security act was originally much larger of a topic than just the program that we have today that we all know of as “Social Security.” The initial 1935 law included the first compensation program for unemployment on a national level. This law also added aid to the states for numerous health and well being programs, such as welfare. The act also attempted to help the stated by establishing the Aid to Dependant Children program under it.

It’s amazing to see how far Social Security has come over the history of the United States, but we all have to hope that Social Security continues to expand creating better programs and does not fall dormant.

Initially, the Social Security Act was created to aid retired workers. Today, through amendments to the Act, the goal of the program has expanded. Individuals in the United States may now apply for financial assistance during times of unemployment, illness, disability in addition to old age benefits. The families of deceased persons can also receive financial aid upon the death of their loved ones.

When the act was first passed, individuals, through work, could acquire credits that would go towards their retirement insurance. Their payroll taxes would help foot the bill. Four years after the initial law was passed and put into effect, in 1939, the first amendment to the Social Security Act was enacted. Spouses and the children of retired workers could now receive benefits and monies. This group could also collect money in the event of the premature death of a working spouse or parent.

The original Social Security payments were paid out in lump sums. It wasn’t until the 1940s when the government began to issue checks monthly. This payment schedule is the same one that is used presently.