Tip of the Week: Got Your Number? (12/6/99)

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	Got Your Number? Financial Tip of the Week by Deloitte & Touche OnLine December 6, 1999

Get Social Security numbers for all your dependents, or you may face added taxes.

See our archive of previous tips on your money, your taxes and your financial plan.

Heading into April and tax season, make sure all your dependents have Social Security numbers. The Internal Revenue Service is now authorized to deny a personal exemption and the dependent care credit if you file a return without a tax identification number for each of your dependents.

Generally, for an individual, the TIN is a Social Security number, and denial of either a personal exemption or the credit, or both, would increase the taxpayer's tax. Failure to provide a required TIN is now treated as a mathematical or clerical error, which means that the IRS can immediately assess tax without conducting an audit.

To get a Social Security number, you'll need to file Form SS-5, available at the Social Security Administration web site. You can also request a form by calling 1-800-772-1213; the TTY phone number for the deaf and hard of hearing is 1-800-325-0778 (open business days 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.).