What is an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)/Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number (ATIN)?
A… An ITIN is an individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) issued by the IRS and may be used as a TIN to meet federal tax obligations only. Resident aliens and nonresident aliens, who are not eligible for SSNs, use ITINs. An ITIN has nine numbers in the same format as an SSN and always begins with the number 9. The fourth and fifth digits are always within the range of 70 through 80. An ATIN is an Adoption Taxpayer Identification Number issued by the IRS and can be used as a TIN. An ATIN is only a temporary taxpayer identification number issued for a child born, and adopted, in the United States. An ATIN contains nine numbers in the same format as an SSN. An ATIN should be requested when an SSN cannot be obtained in time to file your tax return. Once the adoptive parent obtains an SSN for the adopted child, the ATIN becomes obsolete.