I need a REAL ID

July 16, 2018 7:50 PM

I have an appointment tomorrow to get a REAL ID, as my ID expired earlier this year. I need something with proof of social security number, but cannot retrieve my social security card in time. I also can't find my most recent W2. The only one I've found is from 2012 - is this too old?

I left my social security card along with other important documents with my parents when I was between moves, but they are out of town now and I can't access it. I've looked on the official California DMV website, which says nothing about how recent a a W2 has to be. I have my lease and my passport to prove residency and citizenship, but no other documents to prove my social security number. Will this be a problem?

posted by soif to Law & Government (6 answers total)

Do you have a recent paycheck with your social security number on it?
If not, I would take whatever you have with your social security number on it. Worse comes to worse, you can get a regular id (it will be marked "federal limits apply") and then upgrade to a real id later. Californians don't need the real id until October 2020.
posted by metahawk at 8:11 PM on July 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Copy of your tax return?
posted by Crystalinne at 9:35 PM on July 16, 2018

According to the CA DMV's REAL ID checklist you will need either:

1. your social security card,
2. W-2 form,
3. Social Security SSA-1099 form,
4. non-SSA-1099 (presumably an IRS 1099),
5. or a pay stub with full SSN.

Fortunately, if you have none of those available to you the Social Security Administration will provide you with an instant, printable, replacement form SSA-1099 by going to www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. More details available at No Need to Visit a Field Office: Replace Your SSA-1099 Benefit Statement Online.
posted by RichardP at 9:48 PM on July 16, 2018 [5 favorites]

Don't bother with the Social Security site. Once you create an account, they helpfully tell you:

I think you are confused. RichardP isn't saying that OP should request a replacement card from them. He's saying that OP should download OP's SSA-1099 from them, which can be used to get the RealID.
posted by praemunire at 9:00 AM on July 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

That is indeed what I meant praemunire. However, b1tr0t does have a point in that, depending on one's financial situation, the SSA may have never sent someone an SSA-1099, so there won't be one for the SSA to issue an online replacement (and the SSA won't issue an online replacement for a social security card). If the OP is in that situation I think they should use the old W-2 that they have, as the CA DMV only suggests that out of date documents may take longer to very, not that they are unacceptable (they say "Make sure your document is up to date and accurate to avoid delay.").
posted by RichardP at 10:36 AM on July 17, 2018

Response by poster: Super late update, but in case anyone searches for something like this: my 2012 W2 worked just fine. According to the clerk who helped me at the DMV, there aren't any time restrictions for those kind of documents. As an aside I also received my REALID 6 days after visiting the office, which was nice.
posted by soif at 1:00 PM on August 16, 2018