Question for the forum.

How big a deal is it if your SS Card, doesn’t match your birth certificate and passport with regard to an apostrophe in your middle name?

I’m happy to change it, but all things being equal, I like to avoid government bureaucracy whenever possible.

I'd contact SSA and straighten it out before it becomes a problem.

I agree get it corrected now.

It could also make a difference if your SSN is hacked. Without the apostrophe is an easy?? if that's the right word, to hack/duplicate. Believe me, there was a street corner in Los Angelas where they sell fake SS cards right on the sidewalk. When it comes time to prove who you are, having the apostrophe could make it easier.

Also make sure you have the needed documents to prove the correct spelling when you go.

An original not a copy birth certificate is one you will need.

Ok. I’ll get it fixed.

Worked for SSA for 43 years prior to retirement. First thing I would tell you is do NOT pay a company to take care of it for you "to avoid government bureaucracy." All these companies do is mail a form to request a name change (or in your case a name correction) that you can get for free from SSA. They mail you the form along with instructions on how to fill it out and what documents to submit, then tell you to send it into SSA. Some companies even have you mail the form and documents back to them. Then THEY mail it to SSA. They do that to make you think that they actually processed it themselves. So basically they charge you for something that is free, and as a bonus they delay everything as well. (Charging for something that you can get for free from the government is not illegal so they can do it.)

SSA, IRS and the entire US government only use the first and last names for any data matching with SS numbers. I do not have a middle name or middle initial on SS card. I couldn't give you any statistics, but I would guess that a significant percentage of cards do not display a middle name. This is from internal SSA manuals. Nothing secret or confidential about it. Here it is:

We do not consider the middle name or suffix part of the legal name. Whether the middle name or suffix is included, omitted or incorrectly shown on evidentiary documents submitted with an SS-5 (Application for a Social Security number Card) does not matter.

Here is a link that will give you the information that you are seeking. Go straight to the ANSWER A FEW QUESTIONS AND WE'LL TELL YOU THE BEST WAY TO APPLY part of the page.

https://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/

Good luck.

quote:

We do not consider the middle name or suffix part of the legal name.

How could those not make a difference? John Doe and John Doe Jr. are two different people, with different SSNs, are they not? How many people share first and last names but not middle names? I myself share first and last names with a punk rock singer, but obviously I'm not him, nor he me.

quote:

Originally posted by egregore:

quote:

We do not consider the middle name or suffix part of the legal name.

How could those not make a difference? John Doe and John Doe Jr. are two different people, with different SSNs, are they not? How many people share first and last names but not middle names? I myself share first and last names with a punk rock singer, but obviously I'm not him, nor he me.

You share the same name with the punk rocker, but not same SSN. The middle name has not been used for data matching with tax returns, SS earnings records, and many other data bases that include the name and SSN. I'm not saying the middle name isn't in the record. It's available if needed. It's just that it isn't used for any data matching. If the middle name was also used for processing tax returns, earnings posted to SS earnings records etc, the number of rejected tax returns, earnings not posted etc. would rise exponentially. What is critical with tax returns, employment records etc is that the first and last names along with the SSN are correct. Some women use their maiden name as their middle name.

Google "cultural differences with middle names."
Check out the result. For example, Greeks do not have middle names. Greeks do not have middle names. What appears between the given name and the surname is not a middle name; it is the given name of the person's father. Grammatically this is the possessive form of the father's name, similar to the -'s used in English. There just would be too many problems administratively with adding the middle name to the mix.

SSA, unknown to me, had my birth date wrong by one day for ~50 years… until I filed for SS when it was caught. Was an easy fix IIRC, I went in person to the local office with three forms of ID. That was it.