Sometimes people applied simply because the government now allows them to be covered by the system. At one point, anyone self-employed could not pay into the system or get benefits. When the law changed that allowed self-employeds to pay in, it also changed so that people who had already retired and *never* paid in could also collect benefits. Most farmers were considered self-employed, so this could explain it. You almost have to look at when someone decided to file for a social security number and then look to see what social security law changes had occured in the previous 2-24 months in order to determine why someone would "suddenly" decide to get a number. Sue On 4 Feb 99, at 18:11, S. Kazmierski wrote: > >And if any of you can figure why he wanted a SS# at 92 yrs, let > >me know. Bye for now, Linda > > I have lots of elderly relatives who got SS#'s late in life. I'm not sure > but perhaps for some small benefits or for the death benefit? >