Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS) Handbook

WHAT IS SSNVS AND BSO?

With SSNVS, you may:

• Verify up to 10 names and SSNs online and receive immediate results. There is no limit to the number of times the SSN Verification web page may be used within a session.





• Upload electronic files of up to 250,000 names and SSNs and usually receive results the next government business day.

In addition to SSNVS, the BSO suite consists of Registration Services and Employer Services. Registration Services offer a User Identification Number (User ID) assignment, password selection and various registration maintenance functions. Employer Services offer W-2 file upload, W-2 and W-2c online key-in functions (no special software or forms required) and the ability to track files and view processing results and notices.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT SSNs

SSA can post employee wages correctly only when employers and submitters report employee wages under the correct name and SSN. Recording names and SSNs correctly is the key to successful processing of annual wage reports. It saves the employer and the administration processing costs and allows SSA to properly credit your employees' earnings record. Credits to your employees' earnings record are important in determining their future eligibility and payment of SSA's retirement, disability and survivor benefits.

PROPER USE OF SSNVS

SSNVS should only be used for the purpose for which it is intended.

• SSA will verify SSNs and names solely to ensure that the records of current or former employees are correct for the purpose of completing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement).





• It is illegal to use the service to verify SSNs of potential new hires or contractors or in the preparation of tax returns.





• It is appropriate to use SSNVS only once an official employer-employee relationship has been established. SSA defines the existence of an employer-employee relationship as when one of the following has occurred;

  • The employer’s offer of employment and acceptance by the person being hired (even though he/she hasn’t started working); and/or

  • The future employee’s completion of the paperwork to establish the payroll record.




• Company policy concerning the use of SSNVS should be applied consistently to all workers; for example:





• If used for newly hired workers, verify information on all newly hired workers.

• If used to verify information on other workers, verify the information for all other workers.




• Third-party use of SSNVS is strictly limited to organizations that contract with employers to either handle the wage reporting responsibilities or perform an administrative function directly related to annual wage reporting responsibilities of hired employees. It is suggested that contracts between the third-party and the employer stipulate that the functions being performed by the third-party contractor adhere to the proper use of SSNVS. It is not proper to use SSNVS for non-wage reporting purposes such as identity, credit checks, mortgage applications, etc.





• Anyone who knowingly and willfully uses SSNVS to request or obtain information from SSA under false pretenses violates Federal law and may be punished by a fine, imprisonment or both.





• SSA may ban you and/or the company you represent from the use of SSNVS if SSA determines there has been misuse of the service.





• SSA returns all names and SSNs submitted. If the name and SSN does not match our records, SSA advises the following:





• This response does not imply that you or your employee intentionally provided incorrect information about the employee's name or SSN.

• This response does not make any statement about your employee's immigration status.

• This response is not a basis, in and of itself, to take any adverse action against the employee, such as laying off, suspending, firing or discriminating against the employee.

THIRD-PARTY VERIFICATIONS

If an employer has hired you to handle his/her company's annual wage reporting responsibilities, a fee-based approach can be used when offering SSNVS to your clients. However, caution should be taken. SSA offers services such as SSNVS free of charge. Some companies in the private sector offer those same services for a fee and develop misleading brochures and advertisements. To discourage the use of misleading mailings about Social Security and Medicare, Congress enacted specific prohibitions in Section 312 of the Social Security Independence and Program Improvements Act of 1994 that broadened the existing deterrents. The prohibitions are listed in Title 42 of the U.S. Code, Section 1320b-10. To ensure that you conform to these legal requirements, be careful to adhere to the following:

• Be cautious not to suggest to your clients that this service is only available through you,





• Advise all customers that this service is available at no cost from SSA and that this service is not a unique or exclusive arrangement between SSA and your company, and





• Be sure not to give any impression when describing your SSN verification service to your clients that your company has an arrangement that allows direct access to SSA databases, program software, etc.

NEW USERS

If you are a new employee or newly self-employed, you will not be able to complete the online registration process if:

• Your current employer did not file a Form W-2 for you with SSA for Tax Year 2006, or





• You are currently self-employed but did not submit self-employment earnings to the IRS for Tax Year 2006.

If either of the above statements applies to you, begin the online registration process as described in the REGISTRATION section of this handbook. BSO will display a message asking you to call the Employer Reporting Assistance number at 1-800-772-6270. Call this number to complete the registration process and receive your User ID.

There are several steps that must be completed before you can use SSNVS. You must:

1. Register for BSO

2. Login to BSO

3. Request access to SSNVS

4. Receive an Activation Code (mailed to your employer)

5. Login to BSO

6. Activate access

Every BSO user must register separately. You may not register on behalf of another person.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

To use SSNVS, you will need:

• Internet access,





• A web browser, such as Internet Explorer, FireFox or Netscape Navigator. Your browser version must allow 'cookies' (files stored temporarily on your computer) and have 128-bit encryption.

• Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 5.0 or higher is recommended). You will need this software to view and print your forms. For a free copy of Acrobat Reader go to www.adobe.com.

SECURITY

SSNVS and all applications within the BSO Suite of Services use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communications protocol and 128-bit line encryption to protect your privacy. These technologies prevent eavesdropping and ensure the security of data transmitted over the Internet.

These security features do not apply to Internet e-mail. SSA recommends that you not include private information, such as your SSN, in Internet e-mail messages.

SSNVS / BSO AVAILABILITY

SSNVS normally operates during the following hours, including holidays and may be available at other times as well:

REGISTRATION

INFORMATION NEEDED TO REGISTER

The information you provide when you register allows SSA to confirm your identity before issuing a User ID or to contact you, if necessary. You will be asked to provide the following:

• Type of employer/employee,

• Company EIN,

• Company or business name,

• Company phone number,

• Indication if you are a third-party submitter registering to do business on behalf of another company,

• Name as it appears on your Social Security card,

• SSN,

• Date of birth,

• Your preferred mailing address,

• Work phone number,

• Fax number (optional), and

• E-mail address.

You will also be asked to enter a unique password of your choice.

Your full name, SSN, date of birth, and EIN will be verified against SSA records.

If you have been hired on behalf of an employer, you should provide information about your own company when you register through BSO for SSNVS.

If you have a reason to use BSO but are not a citizen of the United States (and you live outside the United States), leave the U.S. SSN field blank. You will be allowed to continue without providing this information. If you register without providing a United States SSN, additional authentication will be required before you can use BSO services.

REGISTERING

When you have the above information ready, follow these steps to register online:

Immediately after registering, you will be able to maintain/update your registration information, request access to BSO services, and contact SSA electronically.

YOUR BSO PASSWORD

At the time of registration, you must enter a unique password of your choice. Your password must contain a combination of eight (8) letters and numbers (e.g., 9580859A or frog2828). Passwords are NOT case sensitive. No special characters are allowed. Secure your password and do not share it with anyone. Your User ID and password are required to log in to BSO.

CHANGING YOUR PASSWORD

It is mandatory to change your password at least once every 365 days to keep your User ID from expiring. If your User ID expires, you will need to re-register.

The email address you provided during registration allows SSA to send you a notice when it is time to change your password. In addition, you will receive BSO News which provides important wage and tax reporting updates.

IF YOU FORGET YOUR PASSWORD

If you forget your password, you may request a new one by following these steps:

1. Select the Forgot Your Password link on the Business Services Online Login web page. This will open a password request form.





2. Type your First and Last Name, SSN, Date of Birth and EIN.





3. Select the Request New Password button. BSO will display a message indicating that your password has been reissued successfully. SSA will mail you a temporary password, usually within two (2) weeks.

After you request a new password, your old password will no longer be valid. You will not be able to use BSO until you receive your temporary password in the mail.

When you have logged in with your temporary password, you will be prompted to enter a unique password of your choice. Your password must contain a combination of eight (8) letters and numbers (e.g., 9580859A or frog2828). Passwords are NOT case sensitive.

COMPLETE YOUR PHONE REGISTRATION

New users may have to complete their online registration by speaking with an Employer Reporting Branch (ERB) representative. After speaking with an ERB your next step would be to select the Complete Your Phone Registration button from the BSO Welcome web page and enter the following information:

• User Identification Number (User ID) provided by ERB personnel,





• First and Last Name,





• SSN (if applicable),





• Date of Birth,





• EIN, and





• Password (For more information, see "Your BSO Password" section above).

Once your personal and company information has been authenticated against SSA records, you can request access to SSNVS.

ACCESS TO SSNVS

Before you can verify names and SSNs, you will need to request access to SSNVS. Once access has been requested you will receive an activation code from SSA. You are required to enter the SSNVS activation code prior to your first use.

REQUEST ACCESS TO SSNVS

To request access to SSNVS, after you have registered to use BSO, complete the following steps:

1. Login to BSO.





2. From the BSO Main Menu, select Account Maintenance and then select Request Access to BSO Services. The Request Access to BSO Services web page will open with a description of the available suites of services.





3. Check the Electronic Wage Reporting Service box and select the Next button.
   
   

4. Continue navigating through the wizard by selecting the Next button until the Verify Social Security Numbers Online web page displays. Click on the Yes button to request access to this function.





5. Select the Next button until reaching the Request Summary web page and then select the Confirm button to view the Request Access to BSO Services Confirmation web page.

SSA will mail an activation code for SSNVS to your employer at the address the IRS has on file from the Form 941, Employer's Federal Tax Return or SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number.

If you are already registered to use BSO services, you may request access to SSNVS by selecting Account Maintenance from the BSO Main Menu web page and then selecting the Request Access to BSO Services link.

ACTIVATION CODE

The activation code is an alphanumeric code sent by SSA to the employer or registered User ID holder when access to certain services are requested. This code must be entered on the Activate Access to BSO Services web page in order to grant the user access to the requested service.

The activation code mailed to your employer is usually received within two (2) weeks. The letter to your employer with the activation code instructs him or her to provide you with the activation code. The activation code is an added layer of security. You will not have access to SSNVS until you have activated the service by entering the activation code.

ACTIVATE ACCESS TO SSNVS

SSNVS requires the activation code that was mailed to your employer to be entered to activate your access to the SSNVS service prior to your first use.

Once you have received your activation code from your employer:

1. Login to BSO.





2. From the BSO Main Menu, select Account Maintenance and then select Activate Access to BSO Services link. The Activate Access to BSO Services web page will open.





3. Enter the activation code.





4. Select the Activate button. A Confirmation web page will display indicating that SSA has approved your request.

You may then begin using your SSNVS services immediately.

RE-REQUEST ACTIVATION CODE

If it has been 10 days or more since you requested access to SSNVS and your employer has not received your activation code from SSA:

1. From the BSO Main Menu, select Account Maintenance and then select the Re-Request Activation Codes link. The Re-Request Activation Codes web page will open.





2. Check the box corresponding to SSNVS.





3. Select the Re-Request button. A Re-Request Activation Codes Confirmation web page will display confirming SSA received your request.

Restrictions:

• If it has been 60 days or more since you requested access:





• Your activation code is invalid.





• You may not re-request an activation code.





• You must request access to SSNVS again using the Request Access to BSO Services web page.

REMOVE ACCESS TO SSNVS

1. From the BSO Main Menu, select Account Maintenance and then select the Remove Access to BSO Services link. The Remove Access to BSO Services web page will open.





2. Check the box Verify Social Security Numbers Online.





3. Select the Remove button. A Confirmation web page will display indicating that SSA has approved your request.

If you remove access to any service(s) in error, you must re-request access via the Request Access to BSO Services web page.

LOGGING INTO SSNVS

To access SSNVS, you must first log in to BSO:

• Open the BSO Welcome web page.
  





• Select Login on the BSO Welcome web page. This will open the General Login Attestation web page containing an important user certification statement.

NOTE: If your browser does not support 128-bit encryption, an authorization error message will be displayed when you select the Login link. See the SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS section of this handbook for system requirements.




• Select the I Accept button to indicate that you have read the user certification statement and agree to its contents. This will open the Business Services Online Login web page.





• Enter your User ID and password.





• Enter your User ID and password.





• If you have received a temporary password in the mail, log in with your User ID and temporary password. You will then need to change your temporary password. When the BSO Change Password web page is displayed, enter the temporary password and then enter your own unique password twice.





• If you registered for BSO with the ERB personnel by telephone, but have not yet selected your password, select the Complete Your Phone Registration link from the Business Services Online Login web page. This will open the BSO Registration web page. For more information, see the Complete Your Phone Registration section of this handbook.




• Select the Login button from the Business Services Online Login web page. This will open the BSO Main Menu web page. The BSO Main Menu web page is your point of entry for SSNVS and all other BSO services.

USING SSNVS

SSNVS allows you to submit names and SSNs for verification both online and through electronic file submission.

REQUEST ONLINE SSN VERIFICATION

The SSN Verification web page enables you to submit up to 10 names and SSNs for verification and obtain immediate results. There is no limit to the number of times the SSN Verification web page may be used within a session.

The SSN Verification web page contains the following data entry fields:

Employer Identification Number (EIN) - The EIN of the employer under which wages are to be reported for the names and SSNs being verified.

• The Employer's EIN field is mandatory.

• The Employer's EIN must be nine (9) numerical characters only.

• Spaces, alphabetic characters, hyphens, slashes or any other special characters are not allowed.

Social Security Number (SSN)

• The SSN field is mandatory.

• The SSN must be nine (9) numerical characters only.

• Spaces, alphabetic characters, hyphens, slashes or any other special characters are not allowed.

First Name

• The First Name field is mandatory.

• The First Name must be between one (1) and 10 characters in length.

• If the First Name is longer than 10 characters, enter the first 10 characters of the First Name.

• Enter the First Name using alphabetic characters only.

• Spaces, numbers, hyphens, slashes or any other special characters are not allowed.

Middle Name

• The Middle Name field is optional.

• If entered, the Middle Name must be between one (1) and seven (7) characters in length.

• If the Middle Name is longer than seven (7) characters, enter the first seven (7) characters of the Middle Name.

• Enter the Middle Name using alphabetic characters only.

• Spaces, numbers, hyphens, slashes or any other special characters are not allowed.

Last Name

• The Last Name field is mandatory.

• The Last Name must be between one (1) and 13 characters in length.

• If the Last Name is longer than 13 characters, enter the first 13 characters of the Last Name.

• Enter the Last Name using alphabetic characters only.

• Spaces, numbers, hyphens, slashes or any other special characters are not allowed.

Suffix

• The Suffix field is optional.

• If entered, the Suffix must be Jr, Sr, or a Roman Numeral I through X.

• Numbers, hyphens, slashes or any other special characters are not allowed.

Date of Birth (DOB)

• The DOB field is optional.

• If entered, the DOB must contain eight (8) digits.

• Enter the employee's DOB using the format MMDDYYYY where:
  

  • MM is the month; enter a value of 01 through 12.
  • DD is the day; enter a value of 01 through 31.
  • YYYY is the year; enter the first two (2) digits of the century followed by a value of 00 through 99.

• Spaces, letters, hyphens, slashes or any other special characters are not allowed.

• The DOB cannot be before 1800 or after the current date.

Gender

• The Gender field is optional.

• F = Female

• M = Male

The First, Middle and Last Name fields provide links to the help guide for entering complex names. To access the SSNVS Help web page, you must be logged into SSNVS. The Help button is in the left-hand corner of each SSNVS web page and opens in a new browser window.

UPLOAD AN ELECTRONIC FILE FOR VERIFICATION

SSNVS allows you to request name and SSN verifications via electronic file submissions.

1. The Submit a File for SSN Verification - Before You Start web page contains the following information.





• Review your file for correct formatting to ensure that the file is error-free. A properly formatted file will avoid rejection. See the Submission File Format section of the handbook for the correct file format. Files containing more than 100 records are scanned for format errors. If more than 50% of the records contain format errors, the file is not processed.
  
  

• Excel Users To ensure that your electronic file submission processes successfully, the file must NOT be in an *.xls format. If you are using Excel, you must save the file in the appropriate format.

  To properly save an Excel file for processing:

  1. On the File Menu, select Save As.
  2. In the Save As dialog box, select the drop-down box Save as type.
  3. Select Formatted text (Space delimited) (*.prn).
  4. Insert your filename and click Save.

Once you have saved your file, check your file against the Submission File Format. Please ensure that the record length is 130 characters and all fields are properly placed in their respective positions.

• Zip your file if you have over 500 name and SSN verification requests or you have a slow connection. The transmission time required will be substantially reduced if the file is zipped (compressed).

When the file is ready for upload, select the Continue button.



2. The Submit a File for SSN Verification - Submit Your File web page contains the following data entry fields.



• Employer's EIN


The EIN of the employer under which wages are to be reported for the names and SSNs being verified.
• Select File
  
  
• If you know the name of the file you wish to upload, type the file name in the Select File data entry field.
  
  or
  
  
• Select a file from your local or network directory by selecting the Browse button. When the file submission box appears, select the location and name of the file you want to upload. When you select OK and return to Submit a File for SSN Verification - Submit Your File web page, the file name is automatically entered in the Select File data entry field.
  
  
• Once the Select File data entry field is complete, select the Submit button to begin uploading your file. Your file submission is complete when the Submit a File for SSN Verification - Confirmation web page is displayed.
  
  
• After the Submit button has been selected, you will see a dialog box showing the process of your file being uploaded. When the file upload is complete, you will receive a pop-up box stating "Your file submission was successful" and a recommendation to save or print the acknowledgement.

Submission times depend on many factors. SSA allows up to four (4) hours for a single file submission. If your connection is lost during file submission, you will have to submit the file again.

NOTE: Please do not exit SSNVS or log out until you receive your confirmation number.





3. The Submit a File for SSN Verification - Confirmation web page contains the following information.

This web page acknowledges that your file was received and provides other submitted related information.

• Confirmation number, a 16-position alphanumeric number, assigned by SSA, that you will need to retrieve the results of your submission. Make a note of this number; you need it to check the status of your file.

• Date of submission,
  
  

• Time of submission,
  
  

• Your file name (For information only, not to be used for tracking the status of your file.),
  
  

• File size,
  
  

• What you should do next and
  
  

• What to expect.

Once a file is successfully submitted and you have noted its confirmation number, you can process more files by selecting the Submit Another File button; this returns you to the Submit a File for SSN Verification - Submit Your File web page.

SUBMISSION FILE FORMAT

To ensure your electronic file submission processes successfully, the file must be a text file (.txt) in the following format: