5 SSN Lookup Services for your Business or Industry

Social security numbers (SSNs) are unique identifiers for each legal resident of the United States. SSN lookup is an important process for employers and professionals in particular fields where it’s necessary to locate individuals. 

There are a number of ways you can verify SSNs and use SSNs to locate those who are difficult to find. The tools you need depend on the information you already have and the information you need returned. But no matter which of these 5 SSN lookup services you use, you can be confident that the information you receive is timely, affordable, and accurate.

Why Use an SSN Lookup?

SSN lookup is important for employers to remain compliant and avoid hefty fines. Employers need accurate SSNs for each employee to correctly pay wages and report them on W-2 forms. Certain SSN information can also help employers conduct background checks and verify the identities of new hires.

Criminals have been known to use stolen SSNs, those of infants or children, or those of deceased individuals. It is an employer’s responsibility to double check this information as well as to ensure that employees are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 

Certain industries also deal with SSN verification in order to confirm identities and locate elusive individuals. For example, an SSN lookup can help a business owner issue a 1099 during tax season, a lawyer to file court paperwork or lawsuit, or a debt collector to collect a loan repayment.

5 SSN Lookup Services for your Business

SSN Check and SSN Validator

The SSN check and SSN validator is the tool to use if you need to validate a few SSNs a day or a few hundred a month. The SSN validation tool verifies whether or not an SSN is valid. Valid SSNs could be active or reserved for future use.

For valid SSNs, the report includes where and when an SSN was issued including the state and year or year range. It also indicates whether the SSN is assigned to a living or deceased individual. If the number belongs to a deceased person, death records are provided and include full name, date of birth, and death dates for the individual.

Information for this search comes from SSA records and the SSA’s Death Master File Index. So you know that all information is accurate and up-to-date. Just enter the number in question and search!

SSN Verification: SSN and Name Match

SSN verification allows you to match an SSN to an individual by indicating whether or not the number matches a last name. For this search, you need an SSN and last name. This search can be used to verify employees, customers and clients, or anyone you need to send a 1099 to. 

Results indicate whether or not the information provided matches. If the information is a match, the search results will include names and aliases associated with the SSN, recorded dates of birth, cities lived in, active or deceased status, and when and where the number was issued.

Information for this search is sourced from public records and SSN databases.

Reverse SSN Lookup

Reverse SSN lookup allows you to locate name, address, and possible phone numbers from an SSN. This is a good tool to use to verify that SSNs in your database or on employment applications actually belong to the right person.

With reverse SSN lookup, you can also sometimes get date of birth, previous addresses, and even an email address associated with the number. Information comes from public records and SSN databases. All you need to search is the SSN in question.

Investigative Services

If none of the above searches are sufficient for your needs, or if your industry requires personal verification, you can hire an investigator to verify SSN information for a subject. Search types include SSN and name match, reverse SSN search, and find SSN from name and address. 

The type of search you order depends on the information you have and the information you need to find. They are similar to the self-service tools listed above. But if those searches come up short or if you don’t have the right information necessary for an accurate online search, you might need to elicit the help of a professional.

Hiring an investigator to conduct a reverse social security number search is the most powerful and accurate way to search for people and verify SSN information. This is because the information is verified by a licensed professional investigator.

Investigative service is a good option for those instances where information is particularly difficult to locate or when the information is needed for legal reasons. For example, you might need the information to file court paperwork, locate someone for debt collection purposes, or investigate fraud. Or, you might need to locate an individual using an SSN. That’s where a professional skip trace comes in.

Skip Trace

If you are looking for someone who is trying not to be found, a professional skip trace can save you hours of work. A skip trace is the process of using the information you have to discover someone’s current location. Skip trace goes beyond verifying an SSN; it helps you find out where someone might be hiding. 

Information from a skip trace search comes from credit bureau repositories, DMV records, utility records, public records, and other specialized sources not available to the general public. However, to order a professional skip trace, you will need to prove that you have a legal reason for requesting the information.

For example, you might qualify to request a skip trace search under the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) or Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA). So you will need to indicate the purpose for which you intend to utilize the information obtained before you receive it. This protects individuals’ privacy except for certain legal reasons.

How Much Does an SSN Lookup Cost?

If you could do an SSN lookup for free, why wouldn’t you? Well, have you ever heard the phrase, “You get what you pay for”? 

Free online SSN validator tools used to be fairly accurate. This is because SSN numbers were more predictable. For example, the first three digits of an SSN used to indicate what state the SSN had been issued in. Therefore, algorithms were able to provide SSN data based on how SSNs were assigned.

As you can imagine, this predictability kind of contradicted the secure nature of SSNs. So in 2011, the Social Security Administration (SSA) began randomizing SSNs. They also stopped publishing lists of the highest numbers of SSNs issued each month. This made it impossible for free SSN verification services to accurately validate and verify SSNs.

Paying for accurate data is much cheaper (and more hassle-free) than the price of recovering from mistakes made using incorrect SSN information. Not to mention the time you’ll save getting it right the first time.

The SSA does offer a free online service for employers to verify current or former workers for wage reporting (W-2 form) purposes. However, it cannot be used to validate potential new hires or verify identities for non-employment related purposes. Consequently, you might benefit from another SSN lookup service.

The cost of SSN lookup depends on the amount of information you need returned. SSN validation costs as little as $0.50. Reverse SSN lookup costs $2.50. And it costs $9.97 (or more) to hire an investigator. Instant searches will require payment in the form of Search Tokens ($T). Search Tokens is a micropayment system that helps minimize costs and speeds up results.

How to Do an SSN Lookup

Due to the secure nature of SSNs, you will need to verify that you have a legal reason for requesting certain sensitive information. Therefore, to conduct an SSN lookup, you will need to create an account and provide your company and industry details. 

Depending on your needs, you can sign up for SSN verification access or restricted access which provides you with federally regulated database results. Not just anyone can access SSN data. These tools are designed specifically for business owners and other industry professionals. If that applies to you, try SSN lookup today!