SS-5 form

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SS-5 Form

Michael John Neill

The SS-5 form is the form a person fills out to apply for a social security number. These forms are available for deceased individuals and can be obtained from the Social Security Administration. They can be an excellent genealogical source. The person does not have to be in the SSDI (Social Security Death Index) in order for a person to obtain the SS-5 form. Anyone who had a Social Security Number completed an SS-5 form.

It is easier to obtain the form if you have the person's social security number. This can be obtained from the Social Security Death Index (search box below), the person's death certificate, or other sources. You can request an SS-5 form from the Social Secutiry Administration (link below) if you know the person is dead,but you don't have the social security number.

While the SS-5 form contains some of the same information as is on the death certificate, it is important to remember that most people filled out their own SS-5 form. Most people usually don't fill out their own death certificate. In some cases, the SS-5 form may contain information previously unknown.

The form on the page is for my wife's grandmother. The father's name listed on this form is different from the name of the father listed on her death certificate. In this case, it was a significant clue.

You can easily search the index via the link below-- or you can search the Social Security Death Index at Rootsweb

Suggestion: Leave the precise date blank and leave "Issued by" set to "any state"

	Surname
	First Name
	Middle Initial
	Social Security #	- -
	Issued by
	Soundex?

	Advanced Option#1--Last Known Residence
	City
	State/Country
	County/Province
	Zip Code

	Advanced Option#2--Birth & Death
	Birth	Day Month Year
	Death	Day Month Year

Getting the SS-5 Application

If the person is in the Social Security Death Index, search for the person in the index, and "print out" the letter that can be generated after you find the person you want.
If the person is NOT in the Social Security Death Index, visit the Social Security Administration page for more information on your options. Getting the person's number from other records (if possible) is an excellent idea.