Changing your name with Social Security
How to change your name on your Social Security record with form SS-5. It is free, your number does not change, and for most people it is done in person or by mail. What to bring and why every other agency waits on it.
You change your name with Social Security by submitting form SS-5 with a certified document showing the new name.
It is free. Social Security never charges for a card.
Your Social Security number does not change — only the name on the record does.
For most people it is done in person at a Social Security office or by mail. A last-name change after marriage can be requested online in some states — ask Social Security whether yours is one, because their list is the only one worth trusting.
Do this first. It is the record most agencies check your new name against, so updating it first keeps everything downstream simple.
What Social Security Administration requires
| What | Value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | SS-5 | Form SS-5 (official PDF) | |
| Fee | Free | Form SS-5 (official PDF) | |
| How | In person or by mail | SSA guidance | |
| Online? | Marriage only, some states | SSA guidance | |
| Typical wait | Card in about 2 weeks | SSA guidance | |
| Order | First — before the DMV | Name Change Works |
What to bring
Social Security wants to see the original or a certified copy of the document that changed your name. Photocopies are refused. Your documents are returned to you.
- A completed form SS-5.
- The original or a certified copy of your marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order.
- Proof of identity — usually a current driver license, state ID, or passport in your former name.
- Proof of citizenship, if it is not already on your record.
Why this step blocks the rest
Do Social Security first — it’s the record most agencies check against, so getting it done first is what keeps the rest in step. A few states require it outright and say so on their own page.
The IRS also takes your name from Social Security. A return filed in a name that does not match the Social Security record can be delayed or rejected, and a refund held up with it.
You do not have to wait for the plastic card to arrive before going to the DMV. What matters is that the record has updated, which usually takes a day or two.
What does not change
Your Social Security number stays the same for life. A name change never issues a new number.
Your earnings record follows the number, not the name, so nothing you have already earned is affected.
Straight to the source
Checked .
This one does not differ by state
Social Security is administered federally and the requirements are identical in every state. The only local variable is which office you walk into, and the agency’s own locator answers that better than a page of ours could.
Everything above is free. Doing it everywhere else is the work.
You can do all of this yourself with the links on this page — every underlying form is free. What we sell is the evening back: the official forms filled in from your answers, the steps in the order that works, and a written letter for every bank, employer and insurer you have to tell.
Two questions about your situation first, because there is one answer that means we can’t help — and we would rather tell you that before you pay than after.
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