3. Employee's Social Security Number (SSN)(p5)

An employee's social security number (SSN) consists of nine digits separated as follows: 000-00-0000. You must get each employee's name and SSN and enter them on the employee's wage and tax statement, Form W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or Form W-2VI. If you do not report the employee's correct name and SSN, you may owe a penalty unless you have reasonable cause. See Publication 1586, Reasonable Cause Regulations and Requirements for Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs for information on the requirement to solicit the employee's SSN.

You should ask the employee to show you his or her social security card. The employee may show the card if it is available. You may, but you are not required to, photocopy the social security card if the employee provides it. If an employee does not have a social security card or needs a new one, the employee should apply for one on Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, and submit the necessary documentation. See the back cover of this publication for information on how to get and where to send the form. The employee must complete and sign Form SS-5; it cannot be filed by the employer. If your employee has applied for an SSN but has not received the card before you must file your Form W-2 reports, and you are filing your reports on paper, enter "Applied For" in box d. Enter all zeroes in the SSN block if filing electronically. When the employee receives the SSN, file Form W-2c, Corrected Wage and Tax Statement, with SSA to show the employee's SSN.

The SSA offers employers and authorized reporting agents several methods for verifying employee SSNs. You can get more information by visiting SSA's Employer Reporting Instructions and Information website at  
www.socialsecurity.gov/employer and selecting "Social Security Number Verification."

Record the name and number of each employee as they appear on his or her social security card. If the name is not correct as shown on the card (for example, because of marriage or divorce), the employee should request a corrected card from the SSA. Continue to use the old name until the employee shows you the replacement social security card with the corrected name.

If SSA issues the employee a replacement card after a name change, or a new card with a different social security number after a change in alien work status, file a Form W-2c to correct the name/SSN reported on the most recently filed Form W-2AS, W-2CM, W-2GU, or Form W-2VI. It is not necessary to correct other years if the previous name and SSN were used for years before the most recent Form W-2.