To change your name with Social Security
You’ll need to fill out an application for a new Social Security card using your new name, then either mail it or submit it in person at a Social Security office, along with proof of legal name change and identification.
Social Security Instructions for Changing Your Name on Your Card
Application for a new Social Security card (PDF)
If You Receive Notification That Your Name and Social Security Number Do Not Match – Instructions from the Social Security website on how to correct this
To change your gender with Social Security
The formal official procedure for changing your name with Social Security requires you to submit a surgeon’s letter documenting that you have had sex reassignment surgery, or a court ordered change of sex.
However, many post-transition people have reported that they have been able to have their gender changed without doing this, by presenting identification with a male sex marker and saying there was a mistake on their record. Others have gone in to change their name and have managed to get their gender changed as well by Social Security employees who were either sympathetic, apathetic, or ignorant of the official SS policy on gender changes.
We don’t advocate deception on this matter, but it can’t hurt to ask to have your gender changed in SS records. The response you get may depend entirely on the employee you encounter.
Changing your name with the IRS
After you change your name with Social Security, the IRS is supposed to get your updated information from Social Security within the next 10 days. However, there have been cases where this transfer of information didn’t happen correctly.
To make sure that the IRS is notified of your name change, you can submit Form 8822. This is the IRS change of address form, but can also be used for name changes. Fill it out with your new name and put your old name in the space labeled “Prior Names” .
The IRS does not need to be notified of any change in your gender status.