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Applying for a Social Security Card
Anyone who works in the U.S. must have a Social Security card with a
Social Security number. Numbers will only be issued to people have
permission to be employed in the United States. Rules regarding the issuance
of Social Security cards and numbers to people in nonimmigrant status have
recently changed. Numbers are no longer being issued for purposes of general
identification (driver licenses, tax returns, bank accounts, phone service,
etc. Bank accounts can be opened by completing IRS Form W-8, Certificate of
Foreign Status).
Social Security card applications are available from Services for
International Students and Scholars and must be filed in person at one of
the offices listed below.
Application
forms are also available on the internet. To obtain a Social
Security card, present the following documents, along with a completed
Social Security card application, to a Social Security representative:
F-1 Students
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Valid Passport, I-94, and I-20, and proof of employment, such as a
job offer or pay stub, a letter from SISS authorizing on-campus
employment, or other valid employment authorization. |
J-1 Students
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Valid Passport, I-94, and I-20, and proof of employment, such as a
job offer or pay stub, a letter from SISS authorizing on-campus
employment, or other valid employment authorization. |
J-1 Scholars
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Valid Passport, I-94, DS-2019, and an invitation letter
from the host UCD department. |
H-1B Scholars
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Valid Passport, I-94, I-797 (USCIS approval notice). |
Applications for Social Security cards may be made in person at the
following Social Security Offices:
825 Riverside Parkway, Suite 1000
West Sacramento, CA 95691
Phone: (916) 373-3850
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday
8351 Folsom Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95826
Phone: (916) 381-9410
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Monday - Friday
(General Phone Number: 1-916-381-9410)
See the U.S. government's web site on International Students and Social Security Numbers at: http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10181.html
Social Security Taxes
Although you do need a Social Security card in order to be employed,
F-1 and J-1 visa holders may be excluded from Social Security coverage
according to the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961.
This means that neither you nor your employer have to make Social Security
payments. To make sure that your employer understands that Social Security
deductions should not be made from your salary, you may refer your
employer to IRS
Publication 519,
U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens.
If payment has already been deducted from your wages, you should ask
your employer to send form 941C together with a copy of your form I-94 to
the Internal Revenue Service Center where the employer files the tax
return. The employer should refund your half of the Social Security
deduction and ask you to verify that you have received this sum so that
the employer may be reimbursed by the Internal Revenue Service. If the
employer does not refund your portion of the Social Security payment, you
should contact the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-829-1040.
Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs)
Individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs) are nine-digit
numbers issued by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to individuals
who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security number
(SSN). ITINs are intended for tax use only.
For more information on ITIN check out
Publication 1915 , Understanding Your IRS Individual Taxpayer
Identification Number.
Who should apply for an ITIN?
Foreign nationals who are not eligible for a SSN:
- to whom the University wishes to provide reimbursement for expenses;
- who file a U.S. tax return;
- who are claimed as dependent on U.S. tax returns;
- will file a joint U.S. tax return with a U.S. citizen/permanent
resident spouse.
Application procedures
Application for an ITIN is made on IRS
Form W-7 (also available at SISS) and
must be accompanied by documents which substantiate the information on the
form. You can apply for an ITIN in several ways. On campus,
you may apply for an ITIN at the Payroll Office. Contact Cindy
Fenton (ccfenton@ucdavis.edu or
530-754-5936) or Cyndy Johnson (cljohnson@ucdavis.edu or 530-757-8936). You may also apply
by mail or in-person at the following locations:
By mail
Internal Revenue Service
Philadelphia Service Center
W-7 Unit
P.O. Box 447
Bensalem, PA 19020
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In-person Internal Revenue Service
4330 Watt Avenue
North Highlands, CA 95660 |
Documentation
Documentation must be provided which substantiates the applicant's
identity and status as an alien. It is not necessary to demonstrate legal
status to receive an ITIN. Acceptable documentation includes a foreign
passport or a foreign birth certificate and a picture I.D. A birth
certificate with a maiden name and a driver license with the married name
should be accompanied by a marriage certificate.
Mail-in applications: If the mail-in applicant is the taxpayer, the
documentation may be a copy of the original, notarized by a U.S.
notary public. If the applicant is the spouse or dependent of a taxpayer,
the original documentation must be mailed in with the application. The IRS
will return the original documentation to the applicant within 14 days and
the ITIN will follow within approximately 4-6 weeks. If something else is
needed, the IRS will return the application and the documentation with a
request for the additional information.
In-person applications: Original documentation must be presented with
the application, but is immediately returned to the applicant.
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