Java Regular Expressions - Validate SSN

Check if SSN is Valid Or Not with Java

Regular Expressions are widely-applicable and used to match patterns in text, whether for search, validation or other processing.

A common way to use them is to check whether a number is valid - i.e. follows a pattern. SSNs (Social Security Numbers) follow a particular pattern, and can be tested with Regular Expressions:

public class RegexTutorial {
   public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Looking for a valid SSN. 
        // You can read more about the SSN rules here: https://www.ssa.gov/kc/SSAFactSheet--IssuingSSNs.pdf
        Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile("^(?!000|666)[0-8][0-9]{2}-(?!00)[0-9]{2}-(?!0000)[0-9]{4}$");
        Matcher matcher = pattern.matcher("332-29-8932");
        boolean match = matcher.matches();
        System.out.println(match);
    }
}

This number follows the SSN format:

true

It starts with 3 numbers, a dash, followed by 2 numbers, a dash, and then 4 numbers. Whether this SSN exists or not is a different debate, though.