Social Insurance Number

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A social insurance number card. Note the date of expiration; this implies that the holder is neither a permanent resident, nor a Canadian citizen.

A social insurance number (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, Revenue Canada (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).

The SIN is formatted as three groups of three digits (e.g., 123-456-789).

The top of the card has changed over the years as the departments that are responsible for the card have changed:

  • Manpower and Immigration
  • Employment and Immigration Canada
  • Human Resources Development Canada
  • Government of Canada

The 2012 Canadian federal budget contained provisions to phase out the Social Insurance Number cards because they lacked modern security features and could be used for identity theft.[1] As of 31 March 2014, Service Canada no longer issues plastic SIN cards. Instead, an individual will receive a paper "Confirmation of SIN letter".[2]


Through functionality creep, the SIN has become a national identification number, in much the same way that the Social Security Number has in the United States. However, unlike in the US, in Canada there are specific legislated purposes for which a SIN can be requested. It is not an identity document.[3]

Unless an organization can demonstrate that the reason they are requesting an individual's SIN is specifically permitted 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. Examples of organizations that legitimately require a SIN include employers, financial institutions that provide interest on deposits, and federal government agencies. Giving a SIN when applying for consumer credit, such as buying a car or electronics, or allowing it to be used as a general purpose identification number, such as by a cable company, is strongly discouraged.[4]

The Canadian military used the SIN as a form of unique identifier from the 1960s until the 1980s, when service numbers were reintroduced. Military identification, including ID cards and identity discs were marked with the SIN during this period.

Temporary SINs[edit]

Social Insurance Numbers that begin with the number "9" are issued to temporary residents who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents (e.g., foreign students, individuals on work visas). Often, these individuals must have an employment authorization in order to work in Canada. SINs beginning with a "9" are different from SINs assigned to citizens and permanent residents, because they have an expiry date (which usually coincides with the expiration of the holder's work permit). These SINs are invalid unless there is an expiry date listed on the card and the date has not passed.


Social Insurance Numbers can be validated through a simple check digit process called the Luhn Algorithm.

046 454 286 <--- A fictitious, but valid SIN
121 212 121 <--- Multiply each top number by the number below it.

In the case of a two-digit number, add the digits together and insert the result (the digital root). Thus, in the second-to-last column, 8 multiplied by 2 is equal to 16. Add the digits (1 and 6) together (1 + 6 = 7) and insert the result (7).

So the result of the multiplication is:

086 858 276

Then, add all of the digits together:


If the SIN is valid, this number will be divisible by 10.


The first digit of a SIN usually identifies the province in which it was registered, as listed below. However, the government has found it necessary in the past to supply certain regions with SIN numbers assigned to other regions.[citation needed]

1: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador
2–3: Québec
4–5: Ontario (excluding Northwestern Ontario), and overseas forces
6: Northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
7: British Columbia and Yukon
8: Not used
9: Temporary resident
0: Newcomers to Canada

See also[edit]


  1. ^ Curry, Bill (15 May 2012). "Your wallet just got a bit lighter: Ottawa nixes SIN cards". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 17 July 2015. 
  2. ^ "Social Insurance Number". Retrieved 1 April 2014. 
  3. ^ "Information for Employers". Service Canada. 3 December 2006. 
  4. ^ "Protecting your SIN: Who can ask for my SIN". User guidance document from Service Canada website. 

External links[edit]