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Your Personal Public Service Number
The Personal Public Service number (PPS No.) is the new name for the RSI number.

As your unique reference number the PPS No. will help you to access benefits and information from public service agencies more quickly and more easily. This includes services such as Social Welfare, Revenue, Public Health care and Education.

What Can You Use the PPS No. For?
Your PPS NO. is already being used for a wide variety of public services and more will be added in the future.

You can use your PPS No. now for:

All Social Welfare Services
Free Travel Pass
Pupil ID
Public Health - including Medical Card and Drug Payment Schemes
Child Immunisation
Revenue Schemes - including Taxation and Mortgage Interest Relief
Housing Grants
Driver Theory Testing and Driver Licences

How To Know If You Have a PPS No.
It is most likely that you already have a PPS No.

A PPS No. has already been issued to you if:

you were born in Ireland during or after 1971
you started work in Ireland after April 1979
you are receiving a Social Welfare payment
you are participating in the Drugs Payment Scheme
If you have an RSI number already, it doesn't change - just the name will be different.

How To Find Your PPS No
PPS Numbers are printed on the following documents:

Social Services Card
Drugs Payment Card
P60
P45
Tax Assessment
PAYE Notice of Tax Credits
Temporary Payment Card
Most Social Welfare Pensions and Payment Books and all current letters from Revenue or Social Welfare Offices also contain PPS Numbers. If you have any of these documents you can find your PPS No. on them.

If not, simply call to your local Social Welfare Office and they will find your number for you.

How To Get A PPS No.
Only your local Social Welfare Office can issue you with a PPS No. In order to get a number you will need to fill out an application form and provide proof of your identity. This is to ensure a person receives one and only one PPS No.

If you are Irish you will need to bring the following:
The long version of your birth Certificate
and
Photographic ID such as your Driving Licence or Passport
and
Evidence of address such as a Household Bill in your name.

If you are not Irish you will need to bring the following:
Your Passport or National Identity Card
or
Your Immigration Card
and
Evidence of address such as a Household Bill in your name.

Future Developments
The use of the PPS No. allows public services to be more customer centred with less red tape.

It also provides the foundation for the future integration of public services and will improve the delivery of public services by providing more services on-line and over the phone. This is part of the eGovernment policy being pursued by the Reach Agency (www.reach.ie).

The future benefits for the citizen will include a fast and secure access to the full range of public services, reduced form filling and better service delivery.

Security
Any document which shows your PPS No. especially your Social Services Card, should be kept secure as you will need the number when accessing Public Services.

If you are unclear whether a particular body, person or agent is entitled to request or use the PPS No. you should contact this Department at 01 - 7043236 or e-mail to cis@welfare.ie .

Issued by : Information Services, Department of Social & Family Affairs, AMD, Store Street, Dublin 1.

This is intended as a guide only and is not a legal interpretation.