Do You Need a SSN to Open a Bank Account?

A reader asked “do you need a SSN to open a bank account” if you create your account in an online banking? SSN simply means Social Security Number. You can get your personal SSN from the US government. Mr. Lewis is curiously asking because he is planning to open a bank account for his children.

Grace, you are totally awesome. Your blog is very interesting and useful. I am planning to open a savings account for my children. One of my children at age 15 and the youngest is a 2 year old (my daughter Kim). May I know the banks that don’t require social security numbers? 

To open a bank account without ssn online is possible. Some banks requires SSN social security number and some banks don’t require it. However, for security reasons, even if the banks don’t need it, you may use it for as your documents when opening a savings account to your preferred bank.

I remember when I wrote a post about Chase Online Banking and Bank of America, they both required SSN social security number when applying a bank account in their online banking facility.

Do You Need a Parent to Open a Bank Account?

Another reader asked last night while I am posting some updates on our blog pages, John KY, a 16 year old student read my post about the purpose of a savings account.

He asked: “Do you need a parent to open a bank account? I want to open an account without their consent. I want to surprise them by saving the allowances they gave to me, is it possible? Thank you!”.

Sad to say you can’t open a savings account as a kid. At a minor age, you will need your parent (your guardian) to open up a savings account for you. Try to tell your parents to do it for you. They will be very happy to hear that.

When it comes to saving money, no matter where you are or who you are, as long as you want to save money, it is important that you understand the regulated laws. And one those laws is to provide identifications. One of the things to identify who own a specific savings account is by looking the SSN social security number of the owner.