Q: I'm filling out a contract, and I want to know: what is the difference between a TIN and a Social Security number?

A: I asked my friend and sometimes guest-blogger Ann Logue, who knows this stuff: "TIN is taxpayer identification number, and it is issued by the IRS as an alternative to the social security number to track corporation tax payments. There's also an EIN, employer identification number, that employers use. I had one when I had a nanny, briefly, and it was really simple to get. You just fill out a form and sent it in."