How Well Do You Know Your SS Number?

Why are social security cards printed on regular paper?

It was designed to be destroyed.

To better explain: With your driver’s license, there’s a picture, a birthday, an address, and defining features (height, weight, eye color, etc.). Thus, the chances of someone being able to use that card and say they’re you is minuscule. So if you lose it, it’s safe to say you’re okay (though you should NEVER assume. Always report to the DMV you’ve lost your license. They’ll tag the number)

With your social security card (which you’re issued at birth), there’s none of these. No one knows how tall you’ll be, what color your eyes will be, what you’ll weigh, or where you’ll live when you’re born, do a social security card just can’t have that identifiable information on it. It has your name and a number. Since most jobs and businesses accept a social security card as proof of identity, it would suck major balls for someone to find your card and proceed to use it as you. By making the card out of flimsy paper, you lessen the chances that someone will find a perfectly intact social security card on the street (as water would ruin it) or easily find it rummaging through papers (it doesn’t feel like a plastic card).

Also, it helps guarantee you’ll protect it. That social security card and the attached number are YOU. Would you carry that around in your wallet all day like you would a driver’s license? I’d hope not. With a license which expires every 5-10 years, getting a new one is easy. With a piece of card stock meant to last you your entire life, making it flimsy by design actually helps ensure its safety.

(CavemanCircus.com)