When to give out your SSN

Not everyone who asks for your Social Security number actually needs it. Usually, if an entity reports information related to you to the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, then you probably have to give your SSN.

This also includes your employer, banks or lenders, and the U.S. Treasury for saving bonds, but also the state unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation offices. Even if other institutions and businesses have every right to ask for your number, they don’t really need it, and you have no legal obligation to provide it.

How to protect your SSN

There are 10 bulletproof ways to safeguard your SSN: