By Blake Haas
SPRINGFIELD – Changing your name might not be as easy as it sounds.
The Social Security Administration warns that if you don’t check with them before or during changing your name, then you could have problems when it comes to financial earnings record or the lack of the ability to file your taxes online.
Speaking with WJEZ’s Todd Wineburner, Jack Meyers with the Social Security Administration said that when it comes down to changing your name, you might want to check with the Social Security Administration first.
“It is important to note for folks that if you do change your name, it is very important that you let us know at Social Security,” Meyers said. “A common mistake will occur when it comes to marriage or in some cases divorce, they change (their) name with the employee but then they don’t circle back to Social Security to let us know, and that can cause problems with your earnings record and can even cause problems with the ability to file your taxes electronically.”
Meyers said there are simple easy steps that you can take to make sure you are in the clear with the Social Security Administration.
“It is important that you let us know,” Meyers said. “In order to update Social Security with your new name, what you would want to do is visit our website at www.SocialSecurity.gov, there you can get a form that we call an SS5…. once you fill that out you will want to bring that into an (Social Security) office so that we can see some documentation.”
Meyers added that as long as you have the correct paperwork, changing your name with the Social Security Administration is free of charge and a simple process.
“I do want to point out that it is free (to change your name),” Meyers said. “Their is no fee associated on our end. You can find if you look hard enough services out there that will be willing too change you a fee. To help facilitate this process I strongly recommend you avoid that because it is nothing more than basically getting you the same paperwork and shuffling it across to us. Essentially what you would be doing is unnecessarily sharing your information with a third-party and paying for the privilege to do so.”
Blake Haas can be reached at Blake.haas@cumulus.com.
