How to Lock Your Social Security Number in 2027 (3 Free Locks a Credit Freeze Misses)

A credit freeze stops new credit in your name. It does not stop someone from using your Social Security number at Social Security, at a new job, or at the IRS. Each of those has its own lock. All of them are free.

There is no single switch that locks a Social Security number everywhere. Each lock below covers one system. Together they close the doors a credit freeze leaves open. If your number is already being used, skip to the recovery steps.

The four locks at a glance

Number exposed, but not used yet? You do not need an FTC Identity Theft Report just because your number was in a breach or lost. Set these locks, then check, freeze and monitor your credit. If you have not frozen your credit yet, our credit freeze guide walks through all three bureaus.

Lock 1: your my Social Security account

Creating your own account helps keep someone else from setting one up in your name and changing where benefits are paid. It also shows your earnings record, which is how you spot someone working under your number.

What you need: you must be 18 or older, with a valid email address and a sign-in through Login.gov (email, government-issued photo ID, phone number) or ID.me (email, government-issued photo ID, a device with a camera). Plan on about 5 to 20 minutes if you are new to Login.gov or ID.me.

1. Go to ssa.gov/myaccount.
2. Choose Login.gov (SSA’s suggestion for most people in the U.S.) or ID.me, and verify your identity.
3. Sign in and open your earnings record. Check every year against what you actually earned.

Since June 7, 2025, the old Social Security username and password no longer work; every account signs in through Login.gov or ID.me. Can’t verify online? Contact your local Social Security office. An appointment is required. And protect the sign-in itself: use a strong, unique password and multi-factor authentication on Login.gov or ID.me and on the email account behind it.

Optional: the two Social Security blocks

Both blocks lock you out too. Use them only if you are comfortable doing these tasks by phone or in person.

• eServices block (block electronic access): nobody, including you, can see or change your personal information online. It is often used by identity theft and domestic violence victims, but you can ask for it for any reason.
• Direct Deposit Fraud Prevention block (for people who receive Social Security or SSI payments): nobody, including you, can enroll in direct deposit or change your address or direct deposit through my Social Security or through a bank’s auto-enrollment. After it is on, any future direct deposit or address change goes through your local office.

To add either block, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., or contact your local office. To remove a block, contact your local Social Security office. You will need to prove your identity.

Lock 2: E-Verify Self Lock

E-Verify is a Department of Homeland Security program, run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with the Social Security Administration, that employers use to confirm a new hire can work in the United States. If an employer enters your locked number in E-Verify, the result is a Tentative Nonconfirmation (a mismatch), and the person using your number has to resolve it.

1. Go to e-verify.gov/mye-verify.
2. Sign in with a USCIS online account (create one with your email and a password if you don’t have one).
3. Complete the identity check (a short quiz), then open Self Lock.
4. Choose and answer three challenge questions. Pick ones you will remember: you answer them again if your own lock ever triggers a mismatch.

The lock lasts as long as your account remains valid and you have not unlocked it. Know its limits: it works only at employers that use E-Verify, and many employers do not. It does not stop credit, loans, tax fraud or benefit fraud. Starting a new job? If the employer uses E-Verify, sign in and unlock your number before your start date.

Quiz won’t load? E-Verify’s own FAQ lists several reasons, including a recent move, too little credit history, or a security freeze or fraud alert on your credit file. Read that FAQ on the myE-Verify page before changing anything on your credit. For account setup problems, the same page lists (855) 804-0296 and TTY (877) 875-6028.

Lock 3: the IRS Identity Protection PIN

A six-digit number known only to you and the IRS. An e-filed return with a missing or wrong IP PIN is rejected; a paper return is delayed until it can be verified.

• Who can get one: anyone with a Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number who can verify their identity. Parents can request one for dependents.
• Fastest way: the IP PIN section of your profile in your IRS online account.
• Can’t use the online account? If your adjusted gross income on your last return was under $84,000 (single) or $168,000 (married filing jointly), file Form 15227 online; the IRS calls to verify you and mails the PIN, usually within 4 to 6 weeks. Otherwise, book an in-person appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center.
• One year or every year: online, you choose continuous enrollment (a new PIN every year) or one-time enrollment (protected for the current calendar year, then opted out automatically). If you enrolled online, sign in each year to get the new PIN; it is not mailed.
• The year-end window: the PIN is generally viewable online mid-January to mid-November. During the IRS’s end-of-year maintenance, normally November to mid-January, a lost PIN cannot be reissued by mail.
• Use it on every federal return you file that year, including prior-year and amended returns (Form 1040-X).

The IRS will never ask for your IP PIN. Share it only with your trusted tax preparer, when your return is ready to file.

If your number is already being used

Start here, but do not wait on anything urgent: if a company is reporting fraud on an account, call them now, and if the IRS has sent you a letter, follow it now.

1. Report it at IdentityTheft.gov

The Federal Trade Commission’s recovery site gives you an FTC Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan. If the theft is tax-related, it can submit IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) for you, so do not file it a second time. Phone: 1-877-438-4338. Its first steps for most victims: call the companies where the fraud happened, place a fraud alert and get your credit reports, then report to the FTC.

2. Check your Social Security record

• Review your earnings record in my Social Security. Wages you did not earn? Contact Social Security to correct the record.
• Got a W-2 or 1099 from an employer you never worked for? Do not put that income on your tax return or amend a filed return. Contact Social Security.
• Someone collecting benefits as you, or your payments redirected? Do both: contact Social Security about your own record and payments, and report the fraud to the Social Security Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov or 1-800-269-0271 (10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern, weekdays).

3. Deal with the IRS

• Got an IRS letter or notice? Verify it is real, then follow its instructions right away. If it points you to the Identity and Tax Return Verification Service, use that and do not file Form 14039.
• Get an Identity Protection PIN to block the next fake return.
• IRS identity theft line: 800-908-4490, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time). If your notice gives a different number, use that one.

New in 2026: one point of contact at Social Security

The Improving Social Security’s Service to Victims of Identity Theft Act (H.R. 5345, Public Law 119-119) was signed into law on October 7, 2026. It requires Social Security to give anyone whose number was misused, or whose card was lost in the mail, a single point of contact: a team of specially trained employees accountable for the case until it is resolved. Individual team members can change, but Social Security must keep the case history continuous. It takes effect 180 days after signing, which is April 5, 2027.

Can I get a new Social Security number?

Rarely. Social Security considers one for identity theft only if you have tried to fix the problems and the misuse keeps affecting you. You will need an appointment, proof you are still having problems, and proof of identity, age, and citizenship or immigration status. A new number does not erase the old one: banks, credit bureaus and other agencies keep records under it, and a blank credit history can make new credit harder to get.

The mistakes that cost the most

• Trusting a caller who offers to “check” your number. The SSA Inspector General warned about this exact scam on August 31, 2026. Real Social Security and OIG staff will not contact you out of the blue asking for personal information, threaten your number, or ask for gift cards, crypto or wire transfers. Hang up and call 1-800-772-1213 yourself.
• Paying for something Social Security does free. Replacement cards, corrected cards and Statements are free from SSA. Companies that mislead you into thinking they are SSA, or endorsed by it, can be penalized under Section 1140 of the Social Security Act. Our Social Security card replacement guide shows the free way.
• Forgetting to unlock before a new job. Self Lock will flag your own E-Verify check too.
• Adding a block and then needing to change your direct deposit. You will have to contact Social Security, usually your local office.

Related GovClarity guides

• How to Freeze Your Credit for Free in 2026 (All 3 Bureaus + 4 More)
• Social Security Card Replacement 2027: The Number and the 45 Day Clock
• How to Apply for Social Security Benefits in 2027 (Apply 4 Months Early)
• Social Security Raise 2027: 3.6% COLA (What Actually Lands in January)

Official resources

• my Social Security account: ssa.gov/myaccount
• Social Security fraud prevention and the two blocks: ssa.gov/fraud
• Report a stolen Social Security number (routes to the FTC): ssa.gov/number-card/report-stolen-number
• Requesting a new Social Security number: ssa.gov/number-card/requesting-new-number
• E-Verify Self Lock: e-verify.gov/mye-verify
• IRS Identity Protection PIN: irs.gov/ippin
• IRS identity theft guide for individuals: irs.gov identity theft guide
• Identity theft report and recovery plan (FTC): IdentityTheft.gov, 1-877-438-4338
• If your number was exposed but not used yet: identitytheft.gov/Info-Lost-or-Stolen
• Report Social Security fraud: oig.ssa.gov, 1-800-269-0271
• Social Security by phone: 1-800-772-1213, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (TTY 1-800-325-0778)

Download the free guide

Our free 11-page guide has every website, phone number and step in one place: the four locks at a glance, the recovery steps in order, the official resources, and a lock checklist. No email required. Find more on our Free Government Guides page.

GovClarity is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with the Social Security Administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the IRS, the Federal Trade Commission, or any government agency. Facts were checked against ssa.gov, e-verify.gov, irs.gov and identitytheft.gov through October 22, 2026. Confirm details on the official pages.