The Tax Identification Number, or TIN, is a unique identifier on which US citizens and residents who are required to file taxes each year.
This article will show you what the TIN is and how to obtain it.
What is the United States TIN?
The acronym stands for Fiscal Identification Number, it serves as a CPF for an individual, or a CNPJ for a legal entity here in Brazil.
It is important to provide it in countries that have tax codes.
Among the countries that have NIF are: Brazil, the United States, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, and others.
In the United States the TIN can be obtained in different ways, we will explain the main US TINs: ITIN, SSN, EIN.
How important is it?
SSNs are used to identify the taxpayer to the US Federal Government and some instances in the US states.
For example, if a person has a SSN, he/she contributes to and receives benefits from the American social security system, such as: unemployment insurance, medical assistance (in case he/she is a low-income citizen)
The SSN is used for international taxes and various social security programs
It is also important to have a TIN before receiving government loans such as student loans or welfare.
What are TINs?
There are different processes to get them, depending on the TIN you want to take out.
ITIN NUMBER
It is a TIN for processing data for the US Internal Revenue Service.
Only used for federal tax reporting, it does not give you access to work in the US, or validity for retirement benefits.
The ITIN NUMBER must be issued regardless of immigration status, whether you are a foreign national residing in the US or not, you should be aware that your US tax return can be sent to you.
SSN
The SSN is equivalent to the CPF for an individual in Brazil, through it you can create an account in American banks, request credit analysis, contract a telephone plan, among many others.
We emphasize that the SSN does not guarantee your right to work in the United States, for this you must have an American green card.
EIN
The EIN is the employer identification number that the IRS uses to differentiate one company from another.
If you have the desire to expand your business to the USA, you should know that opening a bank account for your company requires having the EIN in hand.
What documentation is required?
As we explained earlier, each TIN has an issuance process, which differs them, as well as in documentation.
We will deal more about them.
A) Documentation in ITIN NUMBER
To request the ITIN NUMBER you must:
- A passport valid for at least 9 months.
- A visa, which is issued by the US Government
- And the passport stamp, which must be valid for at least 6 months.
- A completed W7 form.
- And finally a validated tax return, which must be attached to the W7 form.
If you need information and support with visas, we are at your disposal with our consulting services.
B) Documentation for SSN
To apply for the SSN you need to:
- A passport with a validated visa
- An I-94, which is a document that records the number of times you have entered the US, available on the internet
- Through the I-94, you will create a form.
- After your form arrives, you must register on the Social Security site and then go to the Administration office with the required documents.
C) Documentation for the EIN
Applying for the EIN is an easier process, all you have to do is go to the US Internal Revenue Service website, in US time, between the hours of 7 am to 10 pm.
The person will have to fill out the online form and then you will also have to download a pdf with all the necessary information on how to complete this process.
Did you like this article? Do you already have your US TIN? Leave a comment and share with us and our readers your opinion and ideas!