Applying for a Social Security Number

Certify Your On-Campus Employment

Students can review general information regarding on-campus employment.

In order to apply for an SSN based on on-campus employment, you must first secure an on-campus employment offer.

Once you have an on-campus offer of employment (or an offer of employment at an approved off-campus vendor such as Bon Appetit) through Terra Dotta:

• Navigate to the Control Center 
• Select the icon for Social Security Certification 
• Follow the prompts to complete the form, including providing information on your on-campus hiring department
• On the form, you will be asked to provide the name and contact information for your “Approver”. Here you should enter the information of your Emerson job supervisor, including: 
  • Approver Name
  • Approver Title
  • Approver Email 
  • Approver Phone

This person you name as your “Approver” will receive an electronic notification to confirm your on-campus job offer.

After your job has been confirmed by your supervisor, your request will then be forwarded to OISA for final review. If it is complete and correct, we will then be able to issue you a Social Security Certification of On-Campus Employment for you to take with you to your Social Security appointment.  

Document your Off-Campus Employment Authorization

If you are applying for a SSN based on off-campus employment, you will need to present documentation of your US employment authorization, as follows:

Complete Your Online SSN Application

Once you have documentation of your US employment authorization (either your On-Campus Certification or other documentation based on your employment type referenced above), you will then need to complete the Online Social Security Number Application on the Social Security Administration website. 

After submitting the application, make sure you print, annotate or take a screenshot of your submission number. 

Schedule Your In-Person SSN Appointment 

After you have applied online, then immediately schedule an appointment for an in-person appointment at the Social Security office. 

This appointment is required in order to complete your application and must be scheduled within 45 calendar days of the date you completed your online application.

Schedule your appointment at the Social Security Office closest to your address of U.S. residence.

Boston Campus Residents

If you live on the Boston campus:

Social Security Administration
Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. Federal Building
10 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02222
Phone: 800-772-1213

Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Closed federal holidays

Emerson Los Angeles Campus Residents

If you live on the ELA Campus:

Social Security Administration
11500 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone: 800-772-1213

Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
Closed federal holidays

Off-Campus Residents

If you live off campus:

Find your nearest Social Security Office by ZIP code.

Go to SSN Appointment with Required Documents

On the date of your scheduled appointment, you must go in person to your local Social Security Administration office with the following documents: 

• Screenshot or submission number showing that you completed the Online Social Security Number Application – appointment must be within 45 days of this online application submission
• Original or hard copies of the following immigration documents:
  • Unexpired passport
  • Visa (if applicable)
  • Most recent I-20 
  • Print out of your most recent I-94
• Documentation of U.S. work authorization, as applicable:
  • (either) Signed Certification of On-Campus Employment
  • (or) Proof of off-campus employment (such as CPT I-20 or Employment Authorization Document for OPT) 

Note that there is no fee to apply for a Social Security Number. 

At your in-person appointment, you will receive an appointment receipt, which can be used to begin on-campus work. 

Begin On-Campus Work based on Your SSN Appointment Receipt

At your in-person appointment, you will receive an appointment receipt, which can be used to begin on-campus work.

This receipt will allow you to begin your employment at Emerson College while you wait for your SSN to arrive. If you wish to begin working while your Social Security is pending, you must upload a copy of your SSN appointment receipt to Terra Dotta (under the Update Documents function) or email us a copy of the receipt to oisa [at] emerson.edu (oisa[at]emerson[dot]edu). 

Do not begin working until you have received notification from OISA that you can proceed with onboarding. 

Note that there will be a temporary pause in allowing students to begin work on the basis of a SSN receipt during the final weeks of each fiscal quarter when Payroll must report Social Security Numbers for all active employees.

If you do begin working on the basis of a receipt, It is imperative that you report your SSN to Student Employment as soon as you receive it so that we can update your student record for payment and tax purposes. 

Report Your Approved SSN Card

Your Social Security Number card should arrive in the mail within about 2 weeks after your appointment to the US address listed on your application.  
As soon as possible after you have received your Social Security card by mail, please report your SSN to the Student Employment Office. 
This can be done remotely as follows: 

• Upload a copy of your Social Security Card in Workday 
  • On your Workday home screen, click your profile picture in the top right corner
  • Click “View Profile”
  • On the left-hand column, click “More”
  • Select “Personal” 
  • Under Personal, click the “Documents” tab
  • Click “Add” to upload a copy of your card
  • Select “Employment Eligibility” as the Document Category
• Upload a W9 form in Workday to verify your SSN following the instructions above; this allows you to report your number if you are not able to present a copy of your card

Please make sure to do this as soon as possible after receiving your card!

If you have questions for the Office of Student Employment, reach out at student_employment [at] emerson.edu (student_employment[at]emerson[dot]edu).

Once you have received your card by mail, you will need to bring the original card in person to the Student Employment Office to update your record. 

Keep Your SSN Card and Number Confidential

Be sure to keep both your new card and number confidential.

Protecting your Social Security Number is important to prevent identity theft that can harm your financial credit in the U.S. Do not forward a picture of your SSN card by email or confirm your actual number to our office. Your new number should only be reported to through secure channels and to trusted offices where you have financial dealings (payroll, taxes, banks, credit card applications). At Emerson your number should be reported only to Student Employment, Financial Aid and Payroll through secure channels. 

Make sure to store your Social Security card securely with other important documents. The card should be signed, but should not be laminated as this invalidates the card.