Policy on Social Security Number Changes

Policy Statement

The following policy applies to individuals affiliated with The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (University) who wish to change their Social Security Number (SSN) for official University purposes.

Individual demographic data (e.g., name, SSN) is a critical component for multiple University processes including but not limited to payroll, IT systems access, and Student records.

Historically, requests for SSN changes have been handled in a decentralized manner. Since all Student and employee data is now housed in a single system and is utilized by a number of University offices and processes, it is important to standardize the process. This Policy will define the SSN change procedures to ensure consistent practices across campus.

Definitions

• Background Check Person – A person who has had a background check processed by the University.
• CEU Student – A person who is completing Continuing Education course work through the Friday Center.
• Connect Carolina – A PeopleSoft Enterprise Resource System used by the University to house and process University services and data.
• Current Employee – A person who is currently working for the University in a permanent or temporary SHRA or EHRA position.
• Finance Person – A person who is being reimbursed by the University Finance and Accounting services
• Guest ID – A user ID generated for a person who needs limited access to non-sensitive systems.
• School/Division Person Update Users – Users who are authorized to make person demographic data changes in Connect Carolina.
• Image Now – A secure document storage database.
• Non-Employee and Non-Finance Person – A person who does not fall into the categories of Current Employee, Background Check Person, or is paid by University payroll.
• ONYEN – The "Only Name You'll Ever Need" is a user ID generated for access to University systems.
• Preferred Name – The name that an individual chooses to use (e.g., Mike for Michael or Beth for Elizabeth).
• Previous Employee – A person who previously worked for the University in a permanent or temporary SHRA or EHRA position within the last year (12 calendar months).
• Retiree/Past Employee – A person who has previously worked for the University in a permanent or temporary SHRA or EHRA position but who retired or whose employment ended more than one year (12 calendar months) ago.
• Student/Alumni – A person who has matriculated at the University.
• SSN – Social Security Number issued by the Social Security Administration for the purposes of earnings reporting, social security benefits, disability benefits, etc.
• Third Party Proxy for Students – A person, authorized by the Student, who can be their proxy to access and update information electronically.
• UNC Directory – An electronic index of people at the University. It is also where Preferred Names can be updated by individuals with an ONYEN or guest ID.
• W9s – This Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form allows Students to provide their correct taxpayer identification number to an educational institution or to a lender of a student loan. This form can also certify the use of the funds for qualified higher education expenses.
• W-2c and W-3c – These IRS forms can be used to correct an employee's name or SSN

Audience

Any University employee who is designated to update SSNs in Connect Carolina.

Reason for Policy

Incorrect SSN changes are costly to the University because they may result in disrupted services and may result in penalties from the federal government for the submission of incorrect data on, for example, tax documents. This Policy establishes a basic set of requirements for all SSN changes and aims to assure accurate records for all persons affiliated with the University.

Procedures

SSN Change Procedures

An individual who wishes to change their SSN with the University is required to gather and provide the documentation listed below. The documentation must be in English. The SSN change processor will collect and scan all documents into Image Now and make the SSN change in Connect Carolina.

Note: The required documentation varies based on the individual's affiliation with the University.

Roles and Responsibilities

• SSN Change Processor – this person is responsible for collecting and entering SSN changes, scanning supporting document(s) to Image Now, and ensuring that required documents are maintained confidentially and secured properly as per University standards.
• SSN Change Requester – this person is responsible for providing supporting documentation to the SSN Change Processor and for ensuring that all required documentation is complete and accurate. The individual may only request a change to their own record.

Related Statutes and Policies

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
• Information Security Policy
• I-9 form

Contacts

For questions regarding this policy please contact the PID Office.

For SSN Change questions please contact

• Registrar's Office
• School/Division Person Update Users – the individual designated as your departmental person update user.
• PID Office

Forms

• Name/SSN Change Form

Document History

• Effective Date: February 1, 2016
• Last Revised Date: May 12, 2016