You've been through the drawers, the wallet and the filing box, and the one number every form asks for isn't there. You're not the first family to get stuck here, and it's fixable.
Here's how to find a deceased person's SIN (Social Insurance Number). Start with their last income tax return, their tax slips (T4, T4A), a Record of Employment, or an RRSP contribution receipt. Service Canada names these as the places the number appears. If it isn't in any of them, the executor or liquidator can apply to Service Canada for a Confirmation of SIN. A missing number usually slows the paperwork down rather than stopping it.
Where to look: how to find a deceased person's SIN in their papers
More documents show the full SIN than you'd expect, though many bank statements and letters now show only part of it. If the first few you open hide the number, keep going.
Tax papers (the best place to start)
- A copy of their last income tax return, paper or printed from tax software
- Tax slips: T4 (employment), T4A, T4A(P) for the Canada Pension Plan, T4A(OAS) for Old Age Security
- In Quebec, the RL-1 slip they received with their T4
Work, pension and savings records
- A Record of Employment from a past job
- Letters from Service Canada or Retraite Québec about their pension
- RRSP contribution receipts, and RRIF or workplace pension statements
The card itself
- If the SIN card isn't lost, it's often kept with a birth certificate or passport, along with any SIN confirmation letter
When the papers are in a home you can't get into
This is common when a parent lived alone in another city. Before you plan a trip, ask who else holds their tax records. An accountant or tax clinic that filed their return will have a copy. They'll usually want proof that you're the legal representative first. A former employer's payroll office is another option.
If Cleo is arranging the cremation, tell us on the first call that the SIN is missing. We'll plan the paperwork around it.
How can the executor or liquidator get the number from Service Canada?
If you're the executor (Ontario) or the liquidator (Quebec), you can apply to Service Canada for a Confirmation of SIN. Service Canada states that "the legal representative of the estate may obtain a Confirmation of SIN for the deceased by submitting an application."
You'll need:
- An original or certified copy of a document proving your authority, such as letters probate or letters of administration in Ontario
- In Quebec, a notarized will also counts as that proof
- Your own photo ID
Service Canada's page on reporting a death and the SIN has the current application details. If you're not sure what proof of your role looks like in Ontario, our executor's guide to settling an estate in Ontario explains it.
This route works best once your role is on paper. If probate is weeks away, most of the paperwork can still move in the meantime.
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What still goes ahead without the SIN in Ontario and Quebec?
Almost everything, a little more slowly. Here's how each piece of paperwork handles a missing number.
| Paperwork | Ontario | Quebec |
|---|---|---|
| Registering the death | Your funeral director gathers the details with you. Tell them the SIN is missing | The SIN isn't on the Civil Code's list of what a declaration of death must contain (art. 126) |
| Federal death benefit | CPP death benefit (form ISP1200) asks for the SIN. Without it, Service Canada may ask for a copy of the birth certificate | QPP death benefit: Retraite Québec asks for the SIN "to avoid delays" |
| Telling Service Canada | By mail, Service Canada asks for the SIN "if known" | Sent automatically through the simplified forwarding, if you signed it |
| Final tax return | The CRA asks for the SIN on every document | Same, for both the CRA and Revenu Québec |
Ontario: the CPP death benefit
Funeral directors usually ask for the SIN while gathering the registration details and benefit forms. If you don't have it, say so.
The ISP1200 application form asks for the SIN first. Without it, you "might be required to submit a copy of the deceased's birth certificate", the form says. So a birth certificate can stand in while you keep looking. Our guide to how to apply for the CPP death benefit covers the rest of the form.
Quebec: the declaration of death and the QPP death benefit
In Quebec, you (the declarant) and the funeral director sign the declaration of death together. The SIN isn't one of its required details. Alongside the declaration, you can also sign the application for the simplified forwarding of information (DEC-102). Once the Directeur de l'état civil registers the death, that form notifies Retraite Québec, the CRA, Revenu Québec and Service Canada. You don't have to call each one. The full list is in our guide on who the simplified forwarding notifies in Quebec.
Retraite Québec's death benefit form asks for the SIN "to avoid delays in processing your application". A missing number holds the claim up; it doesn't end it. Read more about applying for the QPP death benefit.
If the SIN isn't the only blank
Families also get stuck on a parent's own parents' names, their birthplace, or the date a marriage ended. Give what you know and tell the funeral director what you don't. In Quebec, the Directeur de l'état civil follows up with you or the funeral director when information is missing.
Keep the number safe, and don't cancel it
Once you find the SIN, share it by phone or on the official form only. Service Canada warns never to reply to an email asking for one. You don't need to cancel it. When a province registers a death, it notifies the SIN Program automatically. You can still use the number for the estate. Our guide to notifying the government after a death in Ontario covers the rest of that list.
Questions families ask
Common questions about a deceased person's SIN
Does a funeral home notify the CRA of a death?
In Quebec, yes, if you sign the simplified forwarding application with the declaration of death. The Directeur de l'état civil then tells the CRA once it registers the death. In Ontario, plan to tell the CRA yourself, by phone or by mail. Having the SIN speeds that call up, but you can start without it.
Can I get my ex-husband's or parent's SIN if I'm not the executor?
Not from Service Canada. The Confirmation of SIN for someone who has passed away goes to the estate's legal representative, who has to prove their authority. If someone else is the executor or liquidator, ask them to request it, or to check with whoever prepared the person's taxes.
Can you file a final tax return without the SIN?
Plan on needing it. The CRA asks for the deceased person's SIN on every request and document sent to it, including the final return. That's why the executor's Confirmation of SIN matters when the papers don't turn the number up.
If we're arranging the cremation, tell us the SIN is missing
Finding a deceased person's SIN is one task among many this week, and you don't have to sort it out alone. If Cleo is arranging the cremation, tell us early. We'll register the death with you, help you file the CPP or QPP death benefit, and tell you what can go ahead while you look. Once you find the number, we add it. We stay on for months after, closing out the paperwork, government benefits and loose ends. Our direct cremation service is one fixed, all-inclusive price: what we quote is what you pay.
A real person answers, 24/7, in English or French: (438) 817-1770.