The Sad Reason Americans Used To Get Social Security Tattoos On Their Bodies

The Social Security Act of 1935 began a new system of federal benefits. To profit from this system, everyone eligible needed a Social Security Number (SSN). If you had a job, for instance, your employer would give you a form called an SS-5. You'd fill out this form by hand — your name, address, birth date, place of birth, parents' names. Then, you'd turn it in at your local post office, not a Social Security office (because those didn't exist yet). Postal workers would review your info and send your form to a central office where your official SSN would be created and a simple paper card would be mailed back to you.

Back then, you didn't get a fancy plastic card like today, just your name and number. You couldn't carry the paper around, the government strongly advised against that. So how do you remember your SSN? Some thought the best way was putting it on your skin. Quite understandable, when you consider that losing or forgetting cards was a common concern, which would also mean forgetting your job or benefits. So a few Americans got tattoos of their SSN on their arms and legs, and the business boomed since people wanted an indelible record of their number. This might seem foolproof but it was not the safest option. Much like laminating your Social Security card today or simply carrying it in your wallet, tattooing was not a recommended way to keep your SSN secure. But for military members, there sometimes wasn't another option.

During World War I, troops began tattooing their service numbers — and later Social Security Numbers — onto their bodies so they could be identified if wounded or killed in action. This helped if dog tags were lost in battle, and the tattoos became called "meat tags." Tattoo artists charged $1.50 for traditional sailor motifs and service number or SSN tattoos by World War II, around the period this means of identity developed into a symbol of unity and pride. Servicemen who got tattoos of their SSN represented bravery, solidarity, and the preparedness to lay down their lives in war. This reverence is one of the reasons active-duty military members are the only folks who can get this big tax deduction.

Tattoos were also symbolic in the Navy. Sailors, for example, had a culture of tattooing anchors, eagles, and other icons and figures. They came to represent membership and obligation. The practice of tattoos as identification went back as far as the 1700s when sailors got their initials tattooed in order to have their protection and identity marked. By the 1930s and 1940s, it was a practical as well as patriotic to tattoo an SSN. Many civilians followed the military's example, seeing tattoos as a mark of courage and a way to keep their identity close. Today, that era's military-style tattoos remain powerful reminders of how ink once carried both personal and patriotic purposes.

The SSN tattoo faded by the 1960s. Digital records and new ID cards made them useless. Showing Social Security numbers on the skin became risky as identity theft formed a real threat. Law also changed. In many places including New York City, it is illegal, and as the Social Security card got popular as well as record-keeping, the need for SSN tattoos disappeared.

Since Medicare enrollment in the 1960s and tax reporting relied on SSNs, privacy and identity theft issues resulted in legislation including the Privacy Act of 1974, which forbade public disclosure of SSNs. The Social Security Administration, who controls the SSN today, warns against any public marking to prevent fraud. Yet, these tattoos help us to remember how people managed uncertainty and adjusted to new systems. They highlight the extent people would have gone to safeguard their future.