What Is the Difference Between a Taxpayer's Number & a SSN?
- Social Security numbers (SSN) are issued by the U.S. government to individuals who are born in the United States or who have become naturalized citizens or permanent residents. The SSN is a nine-digit number that individuals use to apply for jobs, credit and educational services and to pay taxes. The U.S. government tracks people using their Social Security number for tax purposes. All persons legally employed in the U.S. must file tax returns to report yearly earnings and include their Social Security number with their return.
- The Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a nine-digit number issued by the IRS. The ITIN is issued to individuals who are not eligible to work and not eligible to obtain a SSN but still have to file a tax return. The IRS states that the ITIN is only used for tax reporting purposes. Individuals who need the ITIN include ineligible dependents or spouses of a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, a nonresident alien and a dependent or spouse of a nonresident alien that holds a visa to enter this country.
- A SSN has nine digits that are randomly picked when issued to a person. This number can be any group of digits. In a standard SSN, there are three digits at the beginning, two in the middle and four digits at the end. These three groups are separated by dashes. The ITIN number is quite different. The ITIN always starts with the number nine. According to the IRS, the ITIN had a range of 70-88 in the fourth and fifth digits but they have recently expanded that range to 90-92 and 94-99. The format of the numbers is the same as the SSN.
- Two branches of the U.S. government issue Social Security numbers and Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers. The Social Security Administration issues Social Security numbers to individuals in the United States. The IRS issues Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers because they are tax-related and only used on a tax return.