Validation of Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN) in Excel

Overview

The Canadian Social Insurance Number (SIN) is a unique identifier used for various governmental purposes. To validate a SIN, the number must adhere to a specific format and pass a checksum verification using the Luhn algorithm.

Formula for Validation

Below is the Excel formula that verifies if a Canadian SIN is valid:

=AND(LEN(A1)=9, ISNUMBER(VALUE(A1)), MOD(SUMPRODUCT(MID(A1,{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9},1)*(1+MOD(SEQUENCE(9)-1,2)*2)), 10)=0)

Breakdown of the Formula

• LEN(A1)=9: Checks if the length of the SIN in cell A1 is exactly 9 digits.
• ISNUMBER(VALUE(A1)): Ensures that the input is numeric.
• MID(A1,{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9},1): Extracts each digit of the SIN.
• SEQUENCE(9)-1: Generates a sequence from 0 to 8 to apply the Luhn algorithm correctly.
• MOD(...,2)*2: Doubles every second digit from the right, following Luhn's rule.
• SUMPRODUCT(...): Calculates the sum of the processed digits.
• MOD(...,10)=0: Checks if the result is divisible by 10, confirming it is a valid SIN.

Application Scope

• The formula can be used in any Excel workbook to validate an individual's SIN based on the aforementioned criteria.
• The user must enter the SIN in cell A1 for this formula to work. Replace A1 with the relevant cell reference as necessary.

Practical Example

Consider the following SIN numbers:

• Place the above formula in cell B1, and drag down to verify adjacent SIN numbers in column A.

Conclusion

This formula effectively validates Canadian Social Insurance Numbers by checking both format and checksum criteria. For further learning on data manipulation and validation using Excel, consider exploring courses on the Enterprise DNA Platform which provides comprehensive resources on data analysis techniques.