Question about social security numbers
 

Doing up some legal paperwork with my brother and noticed something strange.
Long story short I am the youngest of three brothers, middle brother has past away.
Elder brother was born in 1951, I was born in 1957.
However we have consecutive SS #'s
How can that be?

I would guess that your mother or father applied for both at the same time.

You didn't get SSN's when you were born, your parents got them all at the same time for some other reason.

I didn't get an SSN until the 80's when they were required for claiming dependents. My SSN is not from the state I was born in.

That is what I expected (we all applied at the same time) had lunch with my (90 year old) mom Monday {at the Acapolco restaurant because it is $2 margarita Monday :cool: } and not surprisingly she didn't remember when/how we got our SS #'s.

"I was born in East L.A. man..."

So what you are saying is if I try to steal your identity I can get three for almost the price of one? ;)

File that into my "useful to know and might come one handy some day" folder.

My mom took my brother and I to the SS office at the same time to get our SS numbers. My brother's number is just one away from mine.

I still have that original paper card stapled to the background paper it came on. I have never ever carried it or had to show it to anyone.

If you send me the numbers I'll check into that for you...

Social Security numbers are not assigned consecutively;the first was not the lowest and the most recent is not the highest. They are assigned regionally and in batches. The nine-digit SSN, which has been issured in 400 million different sequences, is divided into three parts: area numbers, group numbers and serial numbers.

Social Security number can be decoded, to a certain extent. The first three numbers used to be the office that issued the number. The last four digits are your serial number, and the middle two are a random number that separate the two sets of digits. So in the old days when SSNs were applied for and issued by hand, it makes sense that three applicants in a row could have sequential numbers. If I recall correctly my sisters and I have similar but not sequential numbers.

Here's a basic explanation. http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v45n11/v45n11p29.pdf

All four of us were born in the south (AL and NC), but didn't get SS numbers until we moved to CT. We are four consecutive numbers.

You all got adopted on the same day.


You are your brother.


...

Scott, there are only 2 of us like. My sister and I have the same numbers also but only 2 are different. I always think that was rare, now that I read this, guess not.

Is it illegal to make your own social security card? When I got mine in 1966 they were just a piece of heavy paper with some fancy image printed on it and your name and number typed on it - looks like with a real typewriter. It would be very easy to reproduce.

I don't know. But I remember in England we used to use someone else's card.

I'm just sayin... of course I had never seen my older brothers SS number... and there it was, the first eight digits were exactly the same... last two digits were consecutive.

I am guessing my parents took all us kids down and got the cards at the same time.

Common. it used to be you didn't need a SS# until you went to work. At some point, your parents needed to put the information onto their taxes to claim you as dependents. I remember getting mine around age 10, in the mid 1970's. Nowadays, parents get them as soon as a kid is born.

Yea, I was 13 and my brother was 15 when we got ours on the same day.

My aunt sent mine and my brother's applications in at the same time.
The same agent would have to process all of them to get sequential numbers.
Ours weren't entirely sequential. My oldest brother had the lowest number, then me (I'm the youngest), then my middle brother.

Carter

My number is just one digit lower than my brother's.