- 1). Apply for a Social Security Number if you have a newborn. After the birth, the hospital will ask if you want to apply for a Social Security number for your new baby. You can also apply at your local Social Security office, where you will be asked to complete Form SS-5 and to present original documents showing your newborn's U.S. citizenship, age and identity.
- 2). Apply for an adoption taxpayer identification number, or ATIN, using Form W7-A if you wish to claim a domestic adoptee as a dependent and you are not otherwise able to obtain a SSN for the child. If you are unclear as to whether an ATIN is needed in your situation, read the "Exemptions and Credit for Child" and "Dependent Care Expenses" sections in Form 1040, along with IRS publications 501 and 503.
If this is a foreign adoption, meaning the adoptee child is from another country, it may be possible to claim the child as a dependent if certain conditions are met (see the "Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number" link in References for details). - 3). Social Security number applications can take up to two weeks to process. If you have not received a SSN for your child and April 15 is approaching, you may apply for an automatic six-month extension to file your taxes by completing and submitting Internal Revenue Service Form 4868. When you receive your child's Social Security number, file your tax return using the number and claim him as a dependent.
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