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Social Security

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  • Page changed: Federal Register, new documents mentioning gender identity or sex designation (SSA, State, DHS, HHS) (2026-10-07) · #199
Update your name
YesAfter your legal name change
Gender markerThe sex or gender field (M, F, or X) printed on an ID document or stored in an agency's record.
NoCannot be changed right now

The Social Security Administration will not change the sex field in your record to match your gender identity. Since January 2025, and formalized in policy in 2026, SSA changes the sex field only to correct a data-entry error or to reflect sex at birth. Name changes are unaffected: bring a certified court order and photo ID, free of charge.

Main cost
Free
Apply
Online, by mail, or in person
Typical wait
about 2 weeks

Draft from official sources, September 23, 2026. Not yet checked by a person. How we verify

On this page
  1. How it works
  2. Steps
  3. Costs and fee waivers
  4. Forms
  5. After you finish
  6. Tips
  7. Laws and other guides
  8. Sources

How it works

Your Social Security card does not print sex, but SSA's internal record (the Numident) has a sex field that other agencies and employers' E-Verify checks can see. Between 2013 and January 2025, you could update it with a doctor's letter, passport, or court order. Following Executive Order 14168, SSA stopped those changes on January 31, 2025, and its current Program Operations Manual System (POMS RM 10212.200, effective June 5, 2026) says the agency corrects the sex field only to reflect sex at birth.

Changing your name still works exactly as before and is the first thing to do after a court order, because the DMV and other agencies verify your name against SSA.

Steps

  1. Gather documents[2][1]

    Certified court order showing old and new name; unexpired photo ID; proof of citizenship if SSA does not already have it (birth certificate or passport). Originals or certified copies only; photocopies are not accepted.

  2. Submit SS-5 online, by mail, or in person[2]

    Start at ssa.gov/number-card; many people can begin online and finish by mail or at an office. Bring or mail the SS-5 and documents. SSA mails your documents back. There is no fee.

    Form
    SS-5

  3. Receive the new card[2]

    A card with your new name arrives in about 2 weeks. Wait for it (or for online confirmation) before going to the DMV, which checks the SSA record electronically.

    Time
    about 2 weeks

Costs and fee waivers

WhatCostNotes
Replacement card and name change[2]Free

More detail

Forms1 form: SS-5

Open a form for tips on filling it out.

SS-5Application for a Social Security CardRequired

How to fill it out

  • Item 1: your new legal name. Item 1 also asks for your name at birth and other names used; list your prior name there.
  • Item 8 (sex): whatever you enter, SSA will keep the sex on record. Leaving it as recorded avoids delays.
  • Sign and bring (or mail) with a certified copy of your court order and an unexpired photo ID (driver's license, state ID, or passport).

Open SS-5Official Spanish version[2]

After you finishNext stop is the DMV. Employers using E-Verify may see a sex mismatch if your ID shows a different marker than SSA's record; this generates…

Next stop is the DMV. Employers using E-Verify may see a sex mismatch if your ID shows a different marker than SSA's record; this generates a "tentative nonconfirmation" only in rare cases and can be resolved by the employer with SSA.

Tips1 tip from people who have done this
  • Keep your old Social Security card; the number never changes.
Laws and other guides1 law, 1 other guide

Laws and rules

  • POMS RM 10212.200: Changing Numident data for reasons other than name change (sex field)

Other trusted guides

Sources

2 sources. Numbers in the text, like [1], point here.Show all
  1. POMS RM 10212.200, TN 36 (06-26), effective 06/05/2026Social Security Administration, Regulation. accessed
    “The agency is only correcting or changing the sex field on the NUMIDENT to reflect the NH's sex at birth.”
  2. Change your nameSocial Security Administration, Official page. accessed