what is a personal identification number pin 
a personal identification number pin is a numerical code used in many electronic financial transactions personal identification numbers are usually issued in association with payment cards and may be required to complete a transaction the purpose of a personal identification number pin is to add additional security to the electronic transaction process understanding a personal identification number pin personal identification numbers provide additional security on an account and are most commonly used with debit cards linked to a person s bank account when a person is issued a debit card they are required to choose a unique personal identification number pin that they will need to enter every time they wish to withdraw money from an atm and oftentimes when they make payments at various merchant stores as pins are like passwords they are also used in many other instances such as home security and mobile phones a pin is basically any numerical method used to verify an individual s identity credit cards will verify identity after a user is prompted to enter their identification number the system uses the luhn algorithm to compute and compare the given number to the valid identity the irs often requires an identify protection pin when filing your electronic or paper tax return this pin is a six digit number and can be obtained via the irs website card security and personal identification numbers pins personal identification numbers pins usually range from four to six digits and are generated by the issuing bank through a coding system that makes each pin unique or are chosen by the account holder themself typically a pin is issued to a cardholder by mail separately from the associated card or punched in at a local branch when opening an account in person 