SSA - POMS: RM 10225.035 - SSNs for the Amish and Mennonites (and Other Religious Exempt Communities) (2024)

FAQs

What religious exemptions does Amish have? ›

The Amish are exempted from social security and reject health insurance coverage, do not practice birth control, and often veto preventive practices such as immunization and prenatal care.

The District Court held the statutes requiring appellee to pay social security and unemployment insurance taxes unconstitutional as applied. The court noted that the Amish believe it sinful not to provide for their own elderly and needy and therefore are religiously opposed to the national social security system.

If you or anyone in your tax household is member of a recognized religious sect or division who is opposed to acceptance of public benefits or private insurance benefits, or who relies solely on a religious method of healing, you can apply for a religious conscience exemption.

Background related to enumeration of the Amish and Mennonites (and other religious exempt communities) The Social Security Amendments of 1965 and 1967 provided an exemption from some aspects of coverage for those individuals who are members of religious sects that make provisions for their dependent members.

The Amish exception is a rule that allows Amish children to be exempt from going to school, even if they are within the age range of the state's compulsory-attendance law. This rule is based on the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court made this decision in Wisconsin v. Yoder in 1972.

As a member of certain religious groups, you may qualify for an exemption from the Social Security tax. You must waive your rights to all benefits under the Social Security Act, including hospital insurance benefits. You may be either an employee or self-employed.

Members of recognized religious groups file Form 4029 to apply for exemption from Social Security and Medicare taxes.

While the Amish are governed by the law, they don't want to have social security numbers. However, they do get one when they join the church as an adult. Because the Amish come from the Anabaptist tradition, they believe that you should be baptized as an adult when you're fully able to consent.

The Amish are private people who avoid as much contact with strangers and the "outside world" as possible for important religious and cultural reasons. When visiting their community, please keep the following basic courtesy rules in mind: Don't stare, gawk, or otherwise be disrespectful of the Amish.

There are a few small groups that do not, mainly because of ignorance or living so far off the grid they avoid all documentation. As a whole, the largest Amish sects have both birth certificates and social security numbers. Generally yes. I've worked with several on tax matters and everyone had an SSN.

Who was excluded from Social Security? ›

The Decision to Exclude Agricultural and Domestic Workers from the 1935 Social Security Act. The Social Security Act of 1935 excluded from coverage about half the workers in the American economy. Among the excluded groups were agricultural and domestic workers—a large percentage of whom were African Americans.

Problem: Members of certain religious sects, most notably the Amish, do not accept Social Security or Medicare benefits, and the law consequently exempts them from the requirement to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes if their employers are also members of recognized religious sects.

Unless you are a noncitizen who wants to work in the United States, you probably don't need an SSN. Generally, only noncitizens authorized to work in the United States by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can get an SSN.

SSA will not issue SSNs beginning with the number “9”. SSA will not issue SSNs beginning with the number “666” in positions 1 – 3. SSA will not issue SSNs beginning with the number “000” in positions 1 – 3. SSA will not issue SSNs with the number “00” in positions 4 – 5.

As part of their Ordnung, Old Order Amish forbid owning automobiles; tapping electricity from public utility lines; owning televisions, radios, or personal computers; attending high school or college; joining the military; and initiating divorce. All Amish groups expect men and women to wear prescribed clothing.

While the Amish are governed by the law, they don't want to have social security numbers. However, they do get one when they join the church as an adult. Because the Amish come from the Anabaptist tradition, they believe that you should be baptized as an adult when you're fully able to consent.

All types of birth control, and also all forms of natural family planning such as calendar-based methods, are forbidden in Old-Order Amish communities. However, especially in recent years, more Amish women have begun using contraception.

They see photos as graven images, and they don't want anything to come between them and God. However, in recent years, the Amish have been issued government-issued IDs. This is because some states now issue non-photo IDs accepted by law enforcement officers. These cards aren't valid for voting or driving.