I just read a great article on Yahoo about when you need to give out your Social Security number. This article has validated what I’ve known for a while – that not everyone needs to have your Social Security number. But what this article does (besides listing where you must give your number and where you can say no) is give some suggestions for getting out of giving your number without getting confrontational.

One place that often asks for your number but doesn’t need it if you have health insurance is the doctor’s office. My children go to several different doctors and the one hospital is always asking for it. One time I asked the woman on the phone why they needed it and they said for insurance. I said that isn’t true, because they are covered under my husband’s insurance. It got a bit dicey so I told her I didn’t have the number, that the card was in the safe deposit box and she said just provide it next time. So anymore that’s the excuse I use – I don’t know his Social Security number off the top of my head, I’ll bring the card next time.

For many years a Social Security number was the way a person was uniquely identified in a database. Since no two numbers are the same it was an easy way to give that ID to a person. But there was never any law or legal basis for organizations asking for it, with the exception of a few. Where is it required to give out your Social Security number if asked? In a nutshell, if you are applying for credit, federal benefits, to the DMV, and or completing military paperwork then you need to provide it. You have the option to say no to providing it to places such as doctors, dentists, and schools.

I highly recommend reading the entire article on Yahoo.com. You can click here for a link to it.