Employers in the United States are sometimes faced with the prospect of onboarding young and/or foreign workers who don’t have Social Security Numbers (SSNs). While there’s a commonly-held belief that it’s illegal for an employer to pay an employee who does not have an SSN, there are no laws prohibiting this. In fact, there are specific rules on how to both hire and pay these workers.
As a preliminary matter, employers should be aware that they do not need a Social Security card to complete a new hire’s I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form. The employee can choose the documents he/she provides to confirm the ability to work in the United States. Social Security cards are a List C document, meaning the employer would also need a document from List B in order to properly complete the I-9. However, there are six other List C documents that an employer can accept in lieu of a Social Security card.