What is a US Social Security Number?

A US Social Security Number (SSN) is a unique nine-digit number issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary working residents. It's used for tracking individuals for taxation and other purposes.

Format of a Social Security Number

A valid SSN follows this specific format:

Where:

• \(AAA\) represents the area number (001-899)
• \(GG\) represents the group number (01-99)
• \(SSSS\) represents the serial number (0001-9999)

Components of an SSN

1. Area Number: The first three digits, based on the ZIP Code of the mailing address shown on the application for a social security card
2. Group Number: The middle two digits, which have no special geographic or data significance
3. Serial Number: The last four digits, which are randomly assigned

Example Calculation

Let's generate a sample SSN:

1. Choose an area number: 123
2. Generate a group number: 45
3. Generate a serial number: 6789

Combining these elements:

Visual Representation

Remember, the SSN generator on this page creates random, valid-format numbers for testing purposes only. These should never be used as real Social Security Numbers.