Social Insurance Number - Definition and Overview

A Social Insurance Number or SIN is a number issued in Canada to administer various government programs. The SIN was created in 1964 to serve as a client account number in the administration of the Canada Pension Plan and Canada's varied employment insurance programs. In 1967, what is now the Canada Revenue Agency started using the SIN for tax reporting purposes.

SINs are issued by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (previously Human Resources Development Canada), and are a nine digit number, formatted as three groups of three digits. Example: "123-456-789"

When a SIN begins with the digit "9", it's an indication that the holder is neither a Canadian citizen, nor a permanent resident, and normally means that the holder must have an employment authorization in order to work in Canada.

There are specific legislated purposes for which a SIN must be provided. Unless an organization can demonstrate that the reason they are asking for a person's SIN is specifically allowed by law, or that no alternative identifiers would suffice to complete the transaction, they cannot deny or refuse a product or service on the grounds of a refusal to provide a SIN.

External link

• Social Insurance Number FAQ Page (http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/gateways/topics/sxn-gxr.shtml)