Meaning & use
social insurance number
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableCanadian
A nine-digit number given by the Canadian government to identify a person for work, taxes, and benefits.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a social insurance number or your social insurance number.
Patterns
- apply for a social insurance number
- your social insurance number
- give your social insurance number to an employer
You need a social insurance number before you can start most jobs in Canada.
She wrote her social insurance number on the tax form.
Keep your social insurance number private and never share it online.
Word forms
| plural | social insurance numbers |
|---|
Common combinations
- apply for a social insurance number
- New residents can apply for a social insurance number at a Service Canada office.
- social insurance number card
- The old social insurance number card is no longer issued in the same way.
- provide your social insurance number
- Employers must provide your social insurance number when reporting your income.
- social insurance number application
- The social insurance number application asks for proof of identity.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Social Security number
- Use this for the similar US number; it is not the Canadian term.
- SIN
- This is just the abbreviation of social insurance number and is common in Canada.
Commonly confused: social insurance number or Social Security number?
social insurance number vs Social Security number
A Social Security number is American; a social insurance number is Canadian. They look similar but belong to different countries.
Practice
In Canada, what do you call the number you need to work legally and pay taxes?
Choose one answer.
Social insurance number is the Canadian term. Social security number is American, tax file number is Australian, and national insurance number is British.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “social insurance number”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.