A Social Security Number is intended to identify wage earners in the US in order to accurately record their earnings. Most employees are required to pay a certain percentage of their earnings to the Social Security System through the Federal Insurance Compensation Act (the FICA tax). Your Social Security Number is used to identify you and ensure that your earnings and FICA taxes are properly recorded. While a Social Security Number can be one of several ways to identify an individual for purposes of tax or earnings reporting, it is an inappropriate number to use to authenticate someone's identity for other purposes. Social Security Numbers will continue to be required for employment, for financial aid, for transactions that require reporting to federal agencies, and as a business necessity for certain transactions.
Duke is trying to protect the members of our community by phasing out the inappropriate use of Social Security Numbers. As a student, faculty or staff member at Duke, before you give out your Social Security number, ask what it will be used for. Unless your Social Security number is needed for employment or tax purposes, or some other legitimate purpose, consider offering your Duke Unique ID, your driver's license number, or some other form of identification instead.
Your employer and financial institution will likely still need your Social Security Number for wage and tax reporting purposes. Other businesses may ask you for it to do a credit check, for example when you apply for a loan, rent an apartment, or sign up for utilities. Sometimes, however, they simply want it for general record keeping. You don’t have to give a business your Social Security Number just because they ask for it. If someone asks for your Social Security Number, ask the following questions:
Sometimes a business may not provide you with the service or benefit you’re seeking if you don’t provide your Social Security Number. Getting answers to these questions will help you decide whether you want to share it with the business. Remember – the decision is yours.
Check these links for more information on the use of Social Security Numbers