Social Insurance Number - Validation

Validation

Social Insurance Numbers can be validated through a simple check digit process called the Luhn Algorithm.

046 454 286 <--- A fictitious, but valid SIN 121 212 121 <--- Multiply each top number by the number below it.

In the case of a two-digit number, add the digits together and insert the result (the digital root). Thus, in the second-to-last column, 8 multiplied by 2 is equal to 16. Add the digits (1 and 6) together (1 + 6 = 7) and insert the result (7).

So the result of the multiplication is:

086 858 276

Then, add all of the digits together:

0+8+6+8+5+8+2+7+6=50

If the SIN is valid, this number will be evenly divisible by 10.