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Correct your employee's Social Security number

SOLVED•by QuickBooks•206•Updated March 07, 2024

Learn how to fix an employee's Social Security number (SSN) in QuickBooks Online Payroll and QuickBooks Desktop Payroll.

Your employees' Social Security numbers show on W-2s and some state tax forms. If a Social Security number is wrong, you can correct it in QuickBooks. And we can help you file amended forms if needed.

Step 1: Verify your employee's SSN

You can verify your employee's SSN using the Social Security Number Verification Service.

Important: don't use Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) in place of a Social Security number.

An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service. ITINs don't authorize work in the U.S. or provide eligibility for Social Security benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit.  An ITIN is only available to resident and nonresident aliens who aren't eligible to work in the U.S. and need identification for other tax purposes. An ITIN starts with the number "9" and is formatted like an SSN (NNN-NN-NNN).

View your employee's SSN in QuickBooks

You can only see the last four digits of your employee's Social Security number in most places in QuickBooks Online Payroll. To see the full SSN, open the Employee Details Report.

  1. Select Reports.
  2. Search for ‌Employee Details.
  1. Select Reports then Employees & Payroll.
  2. Select Employee Contact List.

Step 2: Change your employee's SSN

  1. Go to Payroll, then select Employees (Take me there).
  2. Select your employee.
  3. From Personal Info, select Edit.
  4. Next to the Social Security number, select View/Edit to update the info.
  5. When finished, select Save.
  1. Select Employees, then Employee Center.
  2. Double-click the employee's name.
  3. In the Personal Info tab, change the SSN.
  4. Select OK.
  5. Send payroll to transmit the change to the payroll service.

Step 3: Determine if amendments are needed

If you have filed any payroll tax forms with an incorrect SSN, you must amend these forms. The IRS, Social Security Administration, and state agencies use employee wage and SSN information for unemployment benefits and child support orders.

W-2c

See Fix an incorrect W-2 and W-3

  1. Choose Employees, then Payroll Center.
  2. Select File Forms then View/Print Forms & W-2s.
  3. Sign in using your Payroll PIN.
  4. Select the W-2Cs tab.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to enter the Social Security number change request.

State forms

If you use QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium, Elite with auto tax payments and filings turned on, or QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Assisted: contact us to have your state forms amended.

If you use QuickBooks Online Payroll Core, Premium, Elite with auto tax payments and filings turned off, or QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Basic, Standard, or Enhanced: you'll need to amend your state forms manually. Check with your state agency for instructions.

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