How to correct misspelled name on child's Social Security card when original card is lost?

You'll need to handle both issues - the name correction and the lost card. Here's what to bring to the SSA office: - The corrected birth certificate (original, not a copy) - Your ID as the parent - Proof of your relationship as parent (the birth certificate serves this purpose too) - Completed SS-5 form (Application for SS Card) On the SS-5, check the box for "Correcting information on your record" since this is both a name correction and replacement card. Make sure to specify what the correct spelling should be. There's no fee for this service. I recommend making an appointment rather than walking in - the wait times can be brutal.

happened to me when my son was born in 2019!! his middle name was mispelled. honestly the worst part is just GETTING to talk to someone at social security. i waited 3 hours when i went to fix it. bring a snack lol

You DEFINITELY need to bring the original birth certificate, not a copy. They're extremely strict about that. Also bring your own ID (driver's license or passport) and proof of address. Fill out the SS-5 form before you go - you can download it from ssa.gov. I went through this with my twins when the hospital staff wrote their last name as "Mitchel" instead of "Mitchell" - took almost 6 months to get everything straightened out because of COVID closures. The good news is that once you have the appointment, the actual correction process is pretty quick. Just make sure you specify on the form that this is both a NAME CORRECTION and a REPLACEMENT CARD since you can't find the original.

I had to fix my daughter's SS card last year but for a different reason - they put the wrong birth date on it somehow. It's not as complicated as you might think, but MAKE AN APPOINTMENT! That's the most important thing. You need: - The SS-5 form - Your ID - Child's ORIGINAL birth certificate with correct spelling - Proof of your child's identity (medical records, immunization records, or insurance card can work) They'll process everything while you're there and mail the new card. It took about 2 weeks to arrive. And don't worry about the lost card - they understand that happens and will just issue a new one with the correct spelling.

To answer your questions: 1. Yes, download the SS-5 form from ssa.gov and complete it before your appointment. 2. You MUST bring the physical original birth certificate. They will not accept digital copies or even certified copies in some cases. But don't worry - they'll examine it and return it to you during the same appointment. 3. Name corrections don't count toward the replacement card limit since it's correcting an error, not just replacing a card. So this won't affect your remaining replacements. One more tip: bring any other documents showing your child's correct name (medical records, insurance card, etc.) as supporting evidence.

my sister had similar issue but even WORSE - they mispelled BOTH first and last name of my niece!!!!! the social security people were soooooo unhelpful and she had to go back THREE TIMES before she finally got someone who fixed it right. bring EVERY document you can think of just in case. and expect to wait foreverrrrr

To answer about bringing your child - for a minor under 12, you typically don't need to bring them as long as you have all the required documentation proving your relationship and their identity. Just make sure you have that original birth certificate with both your name as parent and their corrected name. For those asking about appointments - YES, they make a huge difference. When I went without an appointment, I waited over 4 hours and was told I needed additional documents. When I went back with an appointment, I was seen within 15 minutes of my scheduled time and everything was processed much more efficiently.

Getting an appointment with SSA is LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE sometimes!! I tried for WEEKS to get through on their phone line for my son's name issue. Always busy or disconnected me after 30+ minutes on hold. The online system kept saying no appointments available. Going in person just to MAKE an appointment meant standing in line for hours! The system is completely broken and they don't care!!!

I had to deal with this exact situation with my twins last year (hospital messed up their middle names). I tried calling SSA for weeks and could never get through to make an appointment. Then I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me actually get connected to a real person at SSA without the endless hold times. They got me through to make an appointment within like 15 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. You can see how it works in their video demo: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once I had the appointment, it was pretty straightforward - brought birth certificates, my ID, and the SS-5 forms. New cards came about 2 weeks later with the correct names. Good luck!

One more important thing - when you fill out the SS-5 form, in Section 10 where it asks for the "FIRST NAME TO BE SHOWN ON CARD" and "LAST NAME TO BE SHOWN ON CARD" make absolutely sure you write the CORRECT spelling that you want on the new card. Some people make the mistake of putting the current (incorrect) name in those fields thinking they're identifying the existing card. Also, in the "OTHER" box at the bottom of the form, write "Correcting spelling of last name" so it's crystal clear what you're doing. And check box #2 for "Correcting information shown on your card" rather than box #1 for replacement. These little details can save you from having to go through the whole process again!

i just remembered something else!!!! if ur kid has any other IDs or documents (like maybe passport?) with the WRONG spelling, you have to fix those separately!!!!! social security doesnt notify other agencies about name changes or corrections. my sister had to deal with this nightmare with my nieces passport too