Does a potential employer actually have to see your social security card?

[BillyJack]

My daughter is trying to get a part-time job at the state university that she has been attending full time for the past year or so. She showed them her US passport, gave them her social security number, and filled out all of the necessary paperwork. Now they are telling her that she can't proceed with getting hired for the job unless they actually see/can make a copy of her social security card.

Well, I can't find it. Requesting a new card will take a few weeks, and filling positions for this on-campus job won't wait for her card to arrive.

Does a potential employer really have the "right" to see your actual card? She's got a valid driver's license and passport and knows her SS# - just doesn't have the actual "card" in hand.

She just wants to get the job and not 'create waves'. What to do???

Thanks in advance for all good thoughts/advice.

[auntAgonist]

1. Some employers use E-Verify...

electronic verification.

IF there is an issue with the SS number when the employer is verifying they will/can ask to see the card to clear up the problem.

http://www.ssa.gov/employer/SSNcard.htm

Often employers ask to see an employee’s Social Security card. But, do you really need to see the card? Since 1936, Social Security has issued over 30 different versions of the Social Security number (SSN) card which makes it difficult to recognize a valid card. Sometimes when you ask an employee to show you their card they can’t find it. In either case, you don’t have to send them to a local Social Security office.

Consider using the free Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS) which allows registered employers to quickly verify whether a person’s name and SSN match Social Security’s records. It saves you and the employee time.

For more information about SSNVS visit Employer W-2 Filing Instructions & Information. Learn more about the New Security Features of the Social Security Card.

http://www.ssa.gov/employer/critical.htm

If you discover an employee's SSN is incorrect, you should ask to see the employee's Social Security card to ensure the name and SSN are shown correctly in your payroll records. If the information matches, ask the employee to check with any Social Security Office to determine and correct the problem. Document any action you take to obtain the correct name or SSN and continue to report the employee's earnings using the SSN given to you. If you receive a corrected name or SSN from the employee after you filed the Form W-2, submit a Form W-2C to make the correction.

It's late and I'm tired, I hope this makes sense.

[fizzgig]

2. her passport is enough for the required paperwork

i deal with this at my job and i don't need anything else from a new hire they have their passport. and i have never known a job that requires you to show a social security card to just get hired.

[BillyJack]

3. That's what I thought too.....and from a large state university that deals with

50,000 + people.....this is not the first time this issue has had to "come up".

Perhaps what the first respondent, AuntAgonist referred to is the issue? My daughter gave her SS# incorrectly? Although, c'mon....with FAFSA and school loans...the school has got her correct SS#.

Like I said, she just wants to get the job and "not make waves" ..... telling her potential employer to go to E-Verify (duh!) won't 'pave the way so well' to a new "friendship/employer-employee relationship".

[fizzgig]

4. e-verify isn't run until after the employee is hired

and a social security number isn't required to run e-verify if a passport has been provided.

i'm at a loss as to why they'd want to see it before they'll even hire her. i don't think her asking why they need it would be making waves.

[BillyJack]

5. Thank you. I'll advise her to proceed with the passport .......

as enough.

[mtnester]

6. I-9 requirements

1. US passport

or

Provide at least two of these:
Drivers License
SSN card
Certified bith certificate

There are a couple other forms under the provide at least two category that you canuse (especially if you are a foreign national here on work visa) but this is the most common combination. If you have a passport, you have provided the required documents, so no need to provide them again.

And, I-9 requirements specifically state you CANNOT state your required preferences on which combination you want to see. It is strictly up to the provider to give you the documents without pressure for it to be "certain" documents.

[era veteran]

7. This was the right answer

I probably process 30 I-9's a year.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. yes, this is correct. HR needs to re-read the requirements for clarification.

Sounds like they are confusing the two.

[alphafemale]

11. I needed to get a new IN HAND SS card recently.

Changed state from GA to SC. A GA Driver's license not a valid ID to apply for SC license. lol!

I needed to mail off for my birth certificate too. Luckily when I got my divorce I went back to my birth name. Otherwise SC requires that a woman supply every document of marriage and divorce for every name change when getting a Drivers License....yeah...seriously.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. I don't think so.

My card disappeared at least 20 years ago. Nobody has ever asked to see it.

[alphafemale]

10. You normally need two solid ID's.

A SS card is one of those. A passport is one. A SS card is another. A birth certificate or Drivers License would be others.

But yeah. You have to show two when being hired to a job.

Been that way a few years now.