How to find the right Social Security fax number

The right Social Security fax number is the one on the letter that asked for your documents, if it prints one. Otherwise, use your local office's fax number from the office locator on ssa.gov. As of November 2026, the ssa.gov pages we read list no single national fax number.

A number copied onto another website may be out of date, and a fax to Social Security often carries your Social Security number. Take the number from the Social Security Administration (SSA) itself, and check it twice.

Where each kind of fax goes

As of November 2026, ssa.gov names a different place to fax each kind of paperwork.

How to find your local office's fax number

1. Check your letter If Social Security asked you for documents, look for a fax number on that letter first. SSA says hearing offices print theirs at the top of each notice.
2. Search the office locator Open SSA's Field Office Locator and enter your ZIP code. SSA says you'll find your office's mailing address and fax number there.
3. Call and ask Call your local office and ask which fax number to use and whose name goes on the cover sheet. Social Security's national line, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), answers from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday. SSA's pages don't say that line gives out office fax numbers, but you can ask.

If the locator won't load, SSA's list of field offices also has fax numbers. The copy we checked was dated March 9, 2026, so call to confirm before you send.

Our guide on what a fax number is and how to read one explains the "F:" and "Fax" labels you'll see on letters.

Documents to mail or take in instead of faxing

A fax is a copy. SSA's policy manual, POMS, treats a fax like an uncertified photocopy. It also says a fax copy from a claimant or other third party isn't acceptable as evidence, with an exception it doesn't spell out. The reason it gives is that SSA can't check that the original was real and unchanged. The manual guides SSA's own staff. SSA's public pages still list fax for hearing offices and records requests, so ask your office before you rely on a fax.

Some papers need the original. When you apply for benefits, SSA says it must see your birth certificate or proof of citizenship or lawful alien status in the original. A copy certified by the agency that issued it also works, but a photocopy or notarized copy doesn't.

For a disability application, SSA accepts photocopies of W-2 forms, self-employment tax returns and medical documents. That page doesn't mention faxing, so ask the office first.

SSA says original or certified documents must go by mail or in person to a Social Security office. Don't mail foreign birth records or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents, which SSA says are hard to replace. Bring those to an office, where SSA looks at them and hands them back. It returns mailed documents too, unless you tell it not to.

In a September 2023 notice, SSA said a faxed, signed application for benefits no longer counts as valid. A faxed application can still set your protective filing date, and SSA then contacts you to go over it and get a signature. The notice doesn't mention Medicare, and SSA's Part B page still says to fax or mail form CMS-40B.

Other ways to send documents to Social Security

You can upload many forms, bank statements and pay stubs through Upload Documents in your my Social Security account. SSA says some forms and document types may not be available there, and it can't take original or certified documents online. You can also mail papers to your local office, or leave them in its drop box if it has one.

To have someone else send the pages, see our guide to where you can fax something near you, which lists stores and libraries that fax.

Cover sheet checklist

Put these on the cover sheet so your pages reach the right file.

• The office's name from your letter, and the fax number you're sending to.
• Your full name and a phone number where the office can reach you during the day.
• The date and the total number of pages, counting the cover sheet.
• What the fax is for, such as the date of the letter you're answering or a form number like CMS-40B.

We suggest putting your Social Security number on the page after the cover sheet, because the cover sheet is the page people see first. SSA's own rule is for mailed documents. It asks for your number on a separate sheet so it can match them to your claim.

Our free fax cover sheet maker fills one in and makes the PDF on your device, and the confidential fax cover sheet adds a printed confidentiality notice. A doctor's office answering an SSA or DDS request letter puts that letter first instead, because its barcode links the records to the claim. SSA's Electronic Records Express FAQ asks records senders to keep each fax to 200 pages or fewer.

Keep proof that you sent it

SSA tells medical providers and others who fax it records to look for a report showing a successful send and the page count. Keep that report, a copy of what you sent, the fax number and the date. We suggest calling a few days later to check that your pages reached your file. For a disability hearing, SSA says to send written evidence, or tell the office about it, at least 5 business days before the hearing.

When you send from faxfair.com, a private status page follows the fax until it's delivered or fails. Take a screenshot once it says the fax was delivered. We delete your files from our servers when the fax is delivered or fails, so keep your own copy.

Once you have the right fax number, you can send your pages from this website. Upload your PDFs or photos, type the number and add a free cover sheet. As of November 2026, a fax of up to 40 pages costs $2.49. We only charge your card when the fax is delivered. If the fax fails, we cancel the payment and you aren't charged. For paper pages, the FaxFair iPhone app scans them with the camera.

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