SSN Regex Java Validator

What is SSN Regex?

A Social Security Number (SSN) is a 9-digit identifier issued by the U.S. government. The standard format is:

AAA-GG-SSSS

Where:

• AAA is the area number

• GG is the group number

• SSSS is the serial number

  
  

Regex is commonly used to validate this structure in input forms, APIs, and databases.

Java SSN Regex Pattern

"^\\d{3}-\\d{2}-\\d{4}$"

Explanation:

• ^ and $ → Ensure the string matches the pattern from beginning to end

• \\d{3} → Matches 3 digits (area number)

• - → Matches the hyphen separator

• \\d{2} → Matches 2 digits (group number)

• \\d{4} → Matches 4 digits (serial number)

  
  

This pattern validates only properly formatted SSNs (e.g., 123-45-6789).

Java Code Example

import java.util.regex.Pattern;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;

public class SSNValidator {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String ssn = "123-45-6789";
        String regex = "^\\d{3}-\\d{2}-\\d{4}$";

        Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile(regex);
        Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher(ssn);

        if (matcher.matches()) {
            System.out.println("Valid SSN");
        } else {
            System.out.println("Invalid SSN format");
        }
    }
}

Examples

• 123-45-6789 → Valid

• 123456789 → Missing hyphens

• 12-345-6789 → Invalid groupings

• abc-de-ghij → Contains non-numeric characters

Pro Tips

• Don’t store SSNs in plaintext. Always encrypt or hash when saving to databases.

• If accepting SSNs from international users, ensure your regex restricts entries to valid U.S. formats.

• Use input masks on front-end forms to guide users toward the correct format (###-##-####).

• Avoid using placeholder SSNs like 123-45-6789 in production data—they’re publicly known and insecure.

• The regex validates format only — not whether the SSN is officially issued.

Use Cases

• HR Systems: Ensure employee SSNs are correctly formatted during onboarding.

• Financial Services: Validate identity before processing loans or payments.

• Government Forms: Automatically reject improperly formatted SSNs.

• Databases: Clean up and standardize SSN fields.

Combine with These Tools

• Email Regex Java Validator – Validate user emails in the same form.

• Phone Number Regex Java Validator – Validate U.S. phone numbers alongside SSNs.

• Java Regex Tester – Experiment with custom SSN patterns.