Another question for Americans

[Timewalker]

In Canada, we have a Social Insurance Number (SIN), which is 9 digits in 3-3-3 format.

And yes, I know mine by heart, although I rarely need to use it for anything.

I memorized mine a long time ago, along with various other numbers I need to provide occasionally.

The easiest to remember is my Co-op number, since it's been in the family for over 50 years and therefore is only 4 digits long.

 

[mari]

I have my SSN memorized, which happened around when I was 16 and had to apply for jobs and colleges. I also ended up memorizing my entire family's SSNs because I was the designated "filler-outer" of student aid forms for myself and my two sisters.

Up til last year I was working at the IT department of a college, and most of those students did not have their entire SSN memorized, only the last 4 (which is used most often for a PIN or ID). Our default student password system was based on last 5, so I was forever having to confirm their identity with student ID and/or driver's license so I could tell them their password. (We had a different system for foreign students, in case anyone wonders.)

 

[Rincewiend]

No, i don't know it by heart...
I do know my mobile-phone and my bank-account numbers by heart...

From wikipedia:

In the Netherlands, all people receive a Burgerservicenummer (BSN) (Citizen's Service Number) when they are born. It is printed on driving licenses, passports and international ID cards, under the header Personal Number. Before 2007, the BSN was known as sofinummer (the acronym sofi stands for so-ciaal (social) fi-scaal (fiscal) ). The number is unique. However, initially it was issued by regionally operating branches of the tax department which where all assigned ranges; in densely populated areas the assigned ranges would overflow thus causing duplicate numbers. This mistake was corrected during the transition from SOFI to BSN by issuing a new number to people having a duplicate one. The number does not contain any information about the person to whom it is assigned i.e. no information such as e.g. gender or date of birth can be derived from a BSN.

I have it on my id-card:

The Dutch identity card is a valid travel document within all member states of the European Union (including the Azores, the Canary Islands and Madeira), as well as Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey, and (although not explicitly stated on the card) Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Vatican City.[6][7] It is also valid in the Channel Islands.[1]

Validity in these countries (except Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) is based on membership of the European Union and the implementation of the "European Agreement on Regulations governing the Movement of Persons between Member States of the Council of Europe".[8]

Since the document is defined within the Dutch Passport Law (Paspoortwet) as a "travel document of the European part of the Netherlands" rather than a "travel document of the Kingdom",[9] this identity card is not issued or valid in Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the BES islands.[10]

An identity card is normally valid for a period of 10 years.

 

[John Clark]

like others have said, theres the national insurance number in the uk, but i have no idea what mine is. i have a card with it on. somewhere.

I can't either. Think I've only had to give it out twice though.

I do remember when they handed the cards out at school telling us not to use it as an ice scraper or to clean out the grooves on your shoes

My credit card number I can remember though.

 

[RoJoHen]

I've had mine memorized since I started applying for jobs at 16. It was kind of a hassle, though. My parents had all of our social security cards locked in a safe...but they couldn't remember where they put the safe since they hadn't needed to access in over a decade. It was a pain.

But yeah, I have it memorized now.

 

[propita]

Lots of people don't know their SSN. I know mine, and my husband's. I think he may have finally learned his own.

 

[scotpens]

BTW, how long is a SSN? In Oz, TFN is 9 digits, Driver's Lic is (or used to be) 4digits 2 letters, Medicare 4+5+2 digits.

Only 4 digits and 2 letters? My California driver's license number is a letter followed by 7 digits.

But then, California has more people than Australia!

Yes, I had to get a social security card at 12 when a savings account was opened in my name. I memorized my first driver's license too, which was 16 digits.

Same here -- I applied for a Social Security card (well, my mother did the actual paperwork) when I was 10, so I could open a savings account.

Like most everyone else here I know mine by heart, and since the program was started everyone is assigned one shortly after birth, once the parents provide the government with information of your birth. But I suspect there's a bit of fudging there.

That didn't happen until around 1986 with a tax reform act. At that point, the Internal Revenue Service required SSN's for dependents claimed over the age of 5. Since then, parents have been able to apply for an SSN on the child's birth certificate.

I never knew that. I guess I need to get out more.

I know my SSN, driver's license number, bank account number, and the 4-digit PIN for my debit card. The funny thing is, I keep forgetting my car's license plate number -- but I remember the license plates from cars my mom and dad had 50 years ago!

 

[RoJoHen]

I know my SSN, driver's license number, bank account number, and the 4-digit PIN for my debit card. The funny thing is, I keep forgetting my car's license plate number -- but I remember the license plates from cars my mom and dad had 50 years ago!

I've always been amazed by our ability to memorize things. I still have my best friend's phone number memorized from when I was a little kid. It's been about 20 years since I've called him.

 

[Velocity]

I not only know my SSN by heart, I know my husband's. I was the one to fill out insurance forms for years, so I memorized his after writing it over and over. They are surprisingly similar despite our 5 year difference in age.

 

[nightwind1]

I can barely remember my phone number, and I've not made an outgoing call nor had an incoming call in over 5 years.

867-5309

Pennsylvania 6-5000

 

[Squiggy]

It's interesting how many numbers we have memorized by the time we're adults. Way, way too many, in my opinion.

I've got room in me noggin' now to remember more since my phone has all those number stored.

I don't know what my mom's cell phone is. I have to think about my wife's. Doctor? Hell no.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I can barely remember my phone number, and I've not made an outgoing call nor had an incoming call in over 5 years.

867-5309

Pennsylvania 6-5000

BR-549

 

[Naira]

I know my ID number and my taxes number by heart because I use them a lot. However, I cannot tell you my passport number or my health security number, I just know where the relevant documents are.

(I live in Greece.)

 

[May 20]

Lots of people don't know their SSN. I know mine, and my husband's. I think he may have finally learned his own.

I not only know my SSN by heart, I know my husband's. I was the one to fill out insurance forms for years, so I memorized his after writing it over and over. They are surprisingly similar despite our 5 year difference in age.

I had to memorize my SSN for a 9th grade Civics assignment. I learned Hubby's while we were in college, before we were married, because I could check his posted grades for him. No, he does not know my SSN.

 

[Sector 7]

In 10th grade, we all applied for SSNs in order to work outside our farms (very rural Ohio farm country). I know an old friend's SSN because it is exactly 11 more than my own. (We thought it was awesome at the time!) By the second child, you could apply for SSN at birth.

Shortly after returning to civilian life, I forgot my wallet, because we never took any ID on missions. Of course, it was the one time I was pulled over at a driver license check-point! A police officer followed me home to retrieve it, in lieu of a ticket. I was so embarrassed, I soon had every number memorized... Driver License, SSN, auto tag... everything!

 

[HIjol]

BTW, how long is a SSN?

Hmm...uh, I thought how long was a Chinese name.