Social Security Records for Genealogy: SSDI, Applications and the Numident

How to use the Social Security Death Index, order a copy of an ancestor's SS-5 application, and search the free Numident records that often name parents.

4 min read

Social Security began in 1935, and within a few years most working Americans had a number. That makes Social Security records one of the best sources for 20th-century ancestors, and they can reach surprisingly far back: a person born in the 1870s who was still working in 1937 may have applied, and their application names their parents.

The three main sources

1. The Social Security Death Index (SSDI): a free index of deaths reported to Social Security.
2. The SS-5 application: the form a person filled out to get a Social Security number.
3. The Numident: Social Security's master file of numbers, partly released and searchable online.

The Social Security Death Index

The SSDI lists people whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. Most entries are for deaths from 1962 on, when Social Security records were computerized; earlier deaths are included only sporadically. A typical entry gives:

• Name, birth date and death date (sometimes only the month and year of death)
• The state where the Social Security number was issued
• The last place of residence, by ZIP code

The SSDI is free on FamilySearch and available on several other sites. Deaths from the most recent three years are withheld.

The SSDI's limits are worth knowing. A death that wasn't reported to Social Security isn't there, which is common for people who never collected benefits, including many who died young and many women who never worked outside the home. Use the SSDI as a finding aid: once you have a death date and last residence, look for the death certificate, obituary and grave.

The SS-5 application

The application for a Social Security number, called the SS-5, is the prize. Applications from the early years typically ask for:

• Full name, including any name used at work
• Date and place of birth
• Father's full name
• Mother's full maiden name
• Address, employer and employer's address at the time
• The applicant's signature

That combination of parents' names, birthplace and a signature in the person's own hand makes the SS-5 a key source for breaking through to the previous generation, especially for women (see Finding a Woman's Maiden Name).

How to order one

Copies of SS-5 applications for deceased people can be requested from the Social Security Administration under the Freedom of Information Act. Check SSA's website for the current request process and fees. Some practical points:

• You'll need proof of death for the person unless they were born more than 120 years ago. An SSDI entry, death certificate or obituary usually works.
• Parents' names may be blacked out unless the parents were born more than 120 years ago or you can prove they've died. Including the parents' death records with your request can help.
• Ask for the application, not just a printout of the computer record, if you want the form with the person's signature.
• Be patient. Requests can take many months.

The Numident: free parents' names online

The Numident is Social Security's master file of every number issued. The National Archives has released Numident records for many deceased people, covering numbers issued and claims and deaths recorded from 1936 to 2007. They contain three kinds of entries:

• Application entries, which can include birthplace and parents' names, much like the SS-5
• Claim entries, created when someone filed for benefits
• Death entries

The Numident is searchable free through the National Archives' Access to Archival Databases (AAD), and is indexed on Ancestry as U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936–2007. Searching it first can often give you the parents' names without ordering the SS-5 at all, though the form itself remains the best evidence.

A useful bonus: Numident entries sometimes record name changes, such as a woman's later married names, which can help you follow her through several marriages.

Reading the number itself

Until 2011, the first three digits of a Social Security number (the "area number") showed where the number was issued: before 1972, the state of the Social Security office that issued the card, and after that, the state of the mailing address on the application. That's a useful clue to where someone lived when they applied, but not proof. People sometimes applied at an office across a state line or near their job rather than their home. Numbers from 700 to 728 were issued by the Railroad Retirement Board to railroad workers; if your ancestor had one, look for Railroad Retirement Board records, which are held by the National Archives at Chicago and can be rich in family detail.

Other 20th-century records to pair with these

• Death certificates, which give the Social Security number in later years and the parents' names
• The 1940 and 1950 censuses
• World War I and II draft cards, which give exact birth dates and addresses. See Draft Registration Cards.
• Obituaries