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 » From: Paris, France Dear TaxMama: Can I give my ITIN number to my future employer to use as a Social Security Number? Can an ITIN be used to get a credit card? Can I give my ITIN as a Social Security Number to get an apartment? Liz Dear Liz, Ah, I see, yes, you can use the ITIN as your Social Security Number for working purposes. It's the only number you have. It will depend on the employer. Having only an ITIN means that you are either not in the USA legally, or that you don't have a working permit. So, if the employers look carefully, they will see that they may have a legal issue by hiring someone who is not permitted to work in the USA. Most smaller employers won't notice. If you do get hired, yes, you will get SS credit for funds paid against your ITIN. That's one of the reasons it was developed. Those large corporations with Human Resources departments or Personnel departments are likely to catch it. You may be able to get a credit card with the ITIN. Only, since there is no credit history with that ID number, you may have to start off with a secured card. It doesn't hurt to try, though. In filling out apartment applications, using your ITIN is fine. The only thing you need to understand about apartment applications is - they are trying to look up your credit history. If there is no history under the ITIN, you can't look bad, right? Wrong. No history means that the number is either made up, or you're new to the country. So, if you're just moving to the US, let the apartment manager know you are just coming to this country. Let them know you don't have a credit history in the US yet. (Don't mention that it's an ITIN instead of a Social Security Number. That will only confuse them.) Good luck on moving here! Best wishes, Eva Rosenberg Your TaxMama  |
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