The Social Security Administration’s (SSA) requirements for issuing social security number (SSN) printouts are less stringent than the requirements for issuing replacement SSN cards.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has initiated a new method of assigning Social Security numbers (SSN) to new applicants. In the past, a person applying for a SSN would be assigned a number based on his or her geographic residency. The first three numbers of the SSN, known as the area number, were assigned to individuals in specific states.