CUIT and CUIL in Argentina: how Canadians get them

CUIL vs CUIT: what each number is

CUIT (Clave Única de Identificación Tributaria) is your tax number, issued by ARCA, the tax agency called AFIP until October 2024. CUIL (Código Único de Identificación Laboral) is your work and social-security number, issued by ANSES.

For a person, both are the same 11 digits: a two-digit prefix (usually 20 for men, 27 for women), the 8-digit DNI number and a check digit, written 20-12345678-X. Both are free.

Because both are built from the DNI, the order for a Canadian is residence, then the DNI, then the CUIL or CUIT.

Which number you need

Salaried job with an Argentine employer: CUIL. The employer uses it to register you and pay your pension and health contributions.

Freelancing, invoicing Argentine clients or renting out property: CUIT, followed by registration in monotributo or the general tax regime.

Buying property or opening a bank account as a non-resident without a DNI: a CDI (Clave de Identificación) from ARCA, a tax code for specific transactions.

Digital nomad visa: it comes with no DNI, so it does not lead to a CUIL or CUIT, and you may only work for foreign employers or clients.

Neither number gives you the right to work; your residence category does. Rentista and pensionado residence do not allow employment in Argentina, and neither number decides whether you are still a Canadian tax resident.

How to get your constancia de CUIL

1. On anses.gob.ar, open 'Constancia de CUIL' and enter your DNI number and personal details. The certificate downloads free as a PDF, and a number printed on it is your CUIL: there is no reason to apply for a second one.

2. If ANSES has no record, the CUIL is assigned at an ANSES office. Book a turno online or by phoning 130, and take your DNI.

3. The constancia then goes to your employer's payroll, and the CUIL appears on every payslip (recibo de sueldo) from then on.

How to register a CUIT with ARCA

1. On arca.gob.ar, start the digital CUIT registration (Inscripción digital). Enter your DNI details, upload the DNI and selfie photos the form asks for, and pay nothing: registration is free.

2. ARCA assigns the CUIT, and for a person it carries the same digits as the CUIL. A file the online route rejects is finished at an ARCA office instead, with a turno and your DNI.

3. Clave fiscal level 3 comes next, then the activity registration: monotributo, the simplified regime that bundles income tax, VAT, pension and health contributions into one monthly payment, or the general regime. Invoicing starts after that step; a CUIT alone is not enough to bill a client.

Clave fiscal is your ARCA password, not another number

Clave fiscal is the password for ARCA's online services. It has security levels 1 to 4, and monotributo and most filings need level 3. A first clave can be created online and raised in person at an ARCA office with your DNI.

To let an accountant file for you, authorize them in ARCA's 'Administrador de Relaciones de Clave Fiscal' service instead of sharing your password.

Log in only at arca.gob.ar; afip.gob.ar redirects there. Messages asking you to 'update your AFIP credentials' are phishing.

Make every record match your DNI

ANSES and ARCA records should carry exactly the name and date of birth on your DNI. If an earlier record used a passport spelling or dropped a middle name, have ANSES (for the CUIL) or ARCA (for the CUIT) correct it before your first payslip or invoice, because payroll and invoicing systems reject records that do not match.