UIN Creation and Lookups

Who may receive a UIN

We create UINs for persons who don’t already have one and who need one—with these conditions and exceptions:

  • We do not generate UINs for any type of new or returning paid employees. Using the HR Front End ("HRFE") system for onboarding employees automatically triggers UIN generation (or retrieval) . Use HRFE to obtain UINs for paid employees.
  • A person may not request a UIN on his own behalf. Only active, regular, non-student employees of the University of Illinois System and authorized employees of Wolcott, Wood, and Taylor, Inc., may request UINs. 

UIN request process

Our Help Desk staff monitor a centralized queue of all requests for UINs. Requests are processed on a first-in, first-out basis. Please allow two business days for responses.

Before you request a UIN: please ask your sponsored person(s) about former interactions with any part of the University of Illinois System. They might not know they already have a UIN. Review  our Who gets a UIN page for examples of affiliations. For greater detail, read About University Identification Number Requests (PDF); it explains how we research and create UINs, and it includes a reference of over 30 types of and unit sponsors for common affiliations.

There are three ways to request UINs:

  • Online. Log in to our online UIN Request form using your NetID and password. Results (or questions) are emailed to you as each request is processed.
  • Email form. Use our  PDF UIN Request form to request UINs for up to eight persons at one time. Email your completed form to icardhelp@uillinois.edu. Responses are emailed to you after the entire request is researched.
  • Web application. Units that expect a repeated and/or high volume of requests may be suited to a secure application. You enter person information in a Request application, and our results and questions are conveyed back to you through a Request Status application. Contact our Help Desk for more information.

UIN Lookups

We have a self-service lookup on the i-card website that many people can use. We can look up UINs manually, too, with some additional information. Use the Find Your UIN lookup if either of these cases is true for you:

  • You worked for and were paid by the university in the past.
  • You attended the university after 1996 and you are absolutely certain that your Social Security number or Temporary Control Number is already in university records.

In all other cases, contact our Help Desk.