How Do You Replace a Lost or Stolen Social Security Card?

The replacement rule in one table

| Cost | Free. A replacement card is requested free of charge | | Online route | Age 18 or older, a U.S. mailing address, and a my Social Security account. In most states, for the personal-account route | | Mail route | Form SS-5, completed and signed legibly in black or blue ink, taken or mailed with documents to any Social Security office. Mailed documents are returned | | In-person document rules | Originals or copies certified by the issuing agency only. No photocopies, no notarized copies. All documents current, not expired. No receipts for applied-for documents | | Limits | 3 replacement cards per calendar year, 10 in a lifetime. Legal-name-change cards and work-authorization-legend changes do not count. Hardship or exception evidence can lift the limits | | Delivery | By mail in 5 to 10 business days after the Social Security Administration completes the request. A local office cannot print a card |

What makes replacement different

The fastest way is to start the application online, but the online door has a narrower frame than the page headline suggests. It fits a U.S. citizen, age 18 or older, with a U.S. mailing address and a my Social Security account, holding a driver's license or state ID from a participating state. For a corrected card with a name change, the Administration's current pages say that in some states the request can be made through a personal my Social Security account, and otherwise the application can be started online and completed at an office. The Administration's own FAQ adds "in most states" for the personal-account route, and no participating-state list is displayed on its public pages. Applicants who cannot complete the request online can still begin online and self-schedule an appointment to complete it at a local office or Card Center.

The second difference is the name-change fork. A name change does not count toward the replacement limits. Whether a corrected card can be requested fully online depends on the situation and the state: the Administration's current pages say that in some states a corrected card can be requested through a personal my Social Security account, and otherwise the application can be started online. Check the Administration's name-change screener before assuming either route. A damaged card is a stated case on the current replacement page, which says to replace a card if it is lost, stolen, or damaged.

The process, step by step

1. Start online if the frame fits: age 18 or older, U.S. mailing address, my Social Security account, no changes needed. Otherwise, begin online and self-schedule an appointment, or go straight to the paper route.
2. Paper route: complete and sign Form SS-5 legibly in black or blue ink, and take or mail it with documents to any Social Security office. Find the serving office through the Administration's office locator.
3. Bring the right evidence. A U.S.-born adult proves citizenship, if not already established, with a U.S. birth certificate or U.S. passport, and proves identity with a current driver's license, state non-driver ID, or U.S. passport. One document can serve both purposes, such as a U.S. passport. Alternatives if the standard identity documents are unobtainable include an employee ID, a school ID, a health-insurance card other than Medicare, or a U.S. military ID.
4. Foreign-born U.S. citizen adults use a passport, Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or N-570), Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561), DS-1350, or FS-240 or Consular Report of Birth Abroad. Noncitizen adults use a current Department of Homeland Security document (I-551, I-766, or I-94 or admission stamp in an unexpired foreign passport). Generally only noncitizens with Homeland Security work permission can apply, and the noncitizen route is a separate track, not part of the citizen-adult online box.
5. For a child or someone else, bring the child's evidence plus the filer's identity, with custody, responsibility, or incapacity documentation where applicable.
6. Wait for the card by mail in 5 to 10 business days after the request is completed. The older 7 to 10 day and 2 to 4 week figures from older Administration pages are not carried here.

Related guides

A name change on the card follows the name-change track. A first card for a newborn follows the Enumeration at Birth track. For every passport track side by side, see the U.S. Passport Guides by Situation directory.

Source

The routes, the limits, the document rules, and the delivery time on this page come from the Social Security Administration: the Replace a Card page, the number-card document pages, and Form SS-5 (December 2024). Facts verified 2026-10-27.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.