Revitalize Your SIN: A Guide to Updating an Expired Social Insurance Number

Require assistance with a modification or expiration to your Social Insurance Number (SIN)? We can assist you. As a legal requirement for IIROC and CRA reporting, it is necessary to maintain a valid SIN for your accounts. SINs are crucial for taxation reporting purposes with the CRA and should be kept up-to-date for future tax slips. Your SIN may alter or expire due to various reasons such as a new permanent residency or renewal of a work/study permit. If that is the case, kindly update your SIN on file, and verify the changes by providing the necessary documents.

If your SIN has expired, we cannot accept specific deposits or contributions until the issue is resolved and updated. To update your SIN with Questrade, please follow the below steps:

Step 1: Log-in to your Questrade account securely and look for the ‘padlock’ icon beside the web address in your browser.

Step 2: Visit the “Summary” page (If you’re not already there). If you’re on the trading platform after logging in, click “Trading” at the top right corner, then “Accounts”.

Step 3: Click on your name located in the top right corner and select “Profile” from the dropdown list.

Step 4: Visit the “Tax residency” tab of your Profile and scroll down to edit your SIN details.

Note: If you have a temporary SIN (Starting with a ‘9’), you will need to supply the expiration date. This information is typically available on an official CRA SIN renewal letter or other comparable documents.

Step 5: After confirming your new or revised SIN number (including expiry if needed), check off the certification box and click the green “save” button.

To clarify, by checking off the certification box, you are consenting to update Questrade if significant adjustments occur to your tax residency situation, such as moving out of the country and no longer being a Canadian tax resident. In such situations, please complete and upload a CRA RC520 form.

To verify your SIN update, it is necessary to provide documents that validate the changes. We recommend uploading the documents through our secure, encrypted portal online here, instead of emailing them to us as they contain sensitive information.

To learn how to upload your documents step-by-step, please refer to this helpful guide.

To release a deposit that has been held due to an expired SIN, you have a few options.

Option 1: Upload a valid, unexpired SIN card or SIN confirmation document

If you have already renewed your SIN, we can release your deposit and update your file to prevent future issues. Simply upload either a valid, unexpired SIN card or a confirmation document from the CRA, as shown in the examples above, and then get in touch with us at [email protected], via chat, or at 1.888.783.7866.

Option 2: Provide valid work or study permit if your SIN has expired

If your SIN has expired but you have a valid work or study permit, we can still release any recent deposits. Temporary SINs remain valid until the expiry date on your immigration documents that authorize you to work or study in Canada. However, it is important to update your SIN number with Service Canada as soon as possible. Once you have received your confirmation letter from the CRA, please update your SIN online and provide your new SIN document.

Upload a copy of your valid, unexpired work or study authorization from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and then contact us to release your deposit.

Option 3: Implied status - IRCC Confirmation letter if both SIN and Immigration documents are expired

If both your SIN and immigration documents have expired, we can still help release your held deposit, but we must follow strict conditions. You must apply for a study or work permit renewal prior to the expiry date on your immigration documents. Please note that we cannot update your SIN on file until it is renewed, so make sure to update your SIN through Service Canada as soon as possible.

Upload the following two documents and contact us to release your deposit:

• - Document 1: Confirmation letter from IRCC showing renewal application.
• Please note:
• To comply with our regulations, it is necessary to include both a reference number and the application date, with the latter predating the expiration date on your present immigration credentials.

It is vital to note that Document 2, referring to an expired SIN document or expired work/study permit, is not an acceptable alternative. Option 4 also fails to meet our requirements.

We regret to inform you that if your SIN has already expired and you have neglected to renew it prior to its expiration, we are incapable of updating your SIN number online or processing deposits into your registered accounts. However, we urge you to renew your SIN promptly, which you can now do easily and conveniently online through the Employment and Social Development Canada webpage.