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ITIN Eligibility & Document Checker

A few questions — the ones you get depend on your answers — and you get a printable checklist: whether you need an ITIN at all, which Form W-7 box to tick, which exception applies if a payer needs your number, which route to use, and exactly which documents go in the envelope for your situation.

Every rule on this page is cited to an IRS source, linked where it is used. Last read against those sources September 9, 2026.

An ITIN is a tax-filing number and nothing more. Applying for one does not give you immigration status, does not give you permission to work, and is not an application to any immigration agency. TaxSaveIQ sells no application service and earns nothing from your choice of route.

ITIN eligibility & document checker

A few questions, and the ones you get depend on your answers. You get a straight answer on whether you need an ITIN, which Form W-7 reason code fits, which submission route suits your situation, and the exact document list for your case — not the full thirteen-row table.

1. Do you have a Social Security number, or could you get one?

I already have a Social Security numberEven an old one, from a previous stayI could get one — I hold current work authorisationA green card, or an EAD or status that authorises the employment you actually haveNo, and I am not eligible for oneThe usual reason people need an ITINI am not sureWe will tell you how to find out for free

Answer the questions above and your result appears here.

🔒 Free to use. No account is required. Calculator inputs are processed locally in your browser and are not transmitted to or stored by TaxSaveIQ. Standard website analytics and technical logs may still apply. Privacy policy.

Quick answer

Most rejected ITIN applications fail on one of three things: the applicant was eligible for a Social Security number, a document was notarised instead of certified by the issuing agency, or a dependent's file proved no U.S. residency where the rules required it. This checker asks about all three before you post anything — including the two exceptions that switch the residency requirement off entirely — then hands you the document list for your case rather than the full thirteen-row table.

Key takeaways

It runs in your browser. No account is required, and your answers are processed locally rather than transmitted to or stored by TaxSaveIQ. Close the tab and they are gone. Standard website analytics and technical logs still apply, as our privacy policy explains.
It gives you a reason code. Ticking the wrong box on Form W-7 tells the examiner to expect a different set of documents, which is a quiet cause of rejection.
It recommends a route based on your circumstances, not on what earns a commission — this site sells no application service.
It is a checklist, not a determination. Only the IRS decides whether to issue an ITIN.

What the checker is doing behind the questions

There is no black box here. Each question maps to a published rule, and the rule is what drives the answer you get.

Question	The rule behind it
Do you have, or could you get, an SSN?	The IRS issues an ITIN only to someone not eligible for a Social Security number. This is a condition of eligibility, so it comes first and it overrides everything after it.
Why do you need a number?	This maps to the Form W-7 reason boxes a–h, and it determines whether a tax return must be attached or whether one of the five exceptions applies instead.
Which status are you on, and do you have work authorisation? (students)	F-1, J-1 and M-1 permit different work, and the Social Security Administration issues a number against evidence of authorised employment rather than against a visa category. An M-1 student has no on-campus route and no CPT, so the answer for M-1 differs from the answer for F-1 even on identical funding.
Which exception applies? (when a payer needs your number)	The five exceptions do not share one generic institution letter. Each sub-exception in the Exceptions Tables asks for its own evidence, and the checker returns that exception's list rather than a catch-all.
Where will you be when you apply?	An IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center is only reachable inside the United States. From abroad the choice narrows to mail or a Certifying Acceptance Agent.
Where does the dependent live, and what are they claimed for?	An applicant claimed as a dependent must also prove U.S. residency, unless one of the exceptions below applies. The exceptions are: a dependent of U.S. military personnel stationed overseas, and a dependent from Canada or Mexico claimed for an allowable tax benefit other than the Credit for Other Dependents. A dependent from Canada or Mexico who is claimed only for the Credit for Other Dependents must still submit proof of U.S. residency — unless they are a dependent of U.S. military personnel stationed overseas, in which case the military exception applies instead.
How old is the applicant?	Medical records are accepted only for a dependent under 6; school records only under 24; a civil birth certificate is required for an applicant under 18 with no valid passport. Age also changes which documents count as proof of U.S. residency.
Is there a current passport, and does it show a U.S. entry date?	A passport is the only stand-alone document. The requirement is waived if a passport is submitted showing a date of entry into the United States. That single stamp covers identity, foreign status and residency together. A passport or national identification card is current if its expiration date has not passed before the date Form W-7 is submitted. For a mailed application the postmark generally establishes the submission date.

Source: IRS — Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. 12/2024), read September 8, 2026.

Proof of U.S. residency for a dependent, by age

Age	Documents accepted as proof of U.S. residency
Under 6	A U.S. medical record, a U.S. school record, a U.S. state identification card, or a U.S. visa.
6 to 17	A U.S. school record, a U.S. state identification card, a U.S. driver's licence, or a U.S. visa.
18 and over	A U.S. school record (only if under 24), a U.S. state identification card, a U.S. driver's licence, a U.S. visa, a rental or bank statement showing a U.S. address, or a utility bill showing a U.S. address.

A medical or school record must show dates of service or attendance within the 12 months before the date of the Form W-7 application.

F-1, J-1 and M-1 are three different answers

Status	What employment the status permits	What the SSA asks to see
F-1 academic student	On-campus employment is permitted incident to F-1 status. Off-campus work requires separate authorisation: curricular practical training endorsed by the Designated School Official on the Form I-20, or optional practical training or severe-economic-hardship employment authorised by USCIS on a Form I-766 Employment Authorization Document.	For on-campus employment: evidence of the employment itself — a letter from the employing department or office identifying the job and confirming you have been hired — together with a letter from your Designated School Official, plus your Form I-20 and immigration documents. For curricular practical training: a Form I-20 endorsed by your DSO for that specific CPT authorisation. For optional practical training or severe-economic-hardship employment: the Form I-766 Employment Authorization Document issued by USCIS.
J-1 exchange visitor	Employment must be authorised in writing, in advance, by your Responsible Officer or programme sponsor, and it must be consistent with the category on your Form DS-2019. A student intern's placement is set out on Form DS-7002.	Your Form DS-2019, together with the written employment authorisation from your Responsible Officer or sponsor, plus your immigration documents. For a student intern, the Form DS-7002 covering the placement.
M-1 vocational student	Practical training only, and only after you have completed your course of study, authorised by USCIS on a Form I-766 Employment Authorization Document. An M-1 student may not take general on-campus employment, is not eligible for curricular practical training, and cannot use the off-campus routes that exist for other statuses — severe-economic-hardship employment and the international-organization internship among them.	The Form I-766 Employment Authorization Document issued by USCIS for the practical training, together with your Form I-20 and immigration documents.

The full walk-through of the three statuses, and what a student return then looks like, is on ITINs for international students and scholars.

The document rules, in full

The checker narrows this to your case. Here is the whole picture, for when you want to check its reasoning or your situation sits between two branches.

What each accepted document proves

Document	Foreign status	Identity	Restrictions
Passport	Yes	Yes	The only document that works on its own. A U.S. entry date in it also settles a dependent’s residency question; without one, check the residency exceptions before adding a second document.
USCIS photo identification	Yes	Yes	—
U.S. visa issued by the Department of State	Yes	Yes	Must be current.
Foreign military identification card	Yes	Yes	A Certifying Acceptance Agent cannot authenticate this one.
National identification card	Yes	Yes	Must be current and show name, photo, address, date of birth and expiry date.
Foreign voter registration card	Yes	Yes	—
Civil birth certificate	Yes	Yes	Foreign certificates only. Required for an applicant under 18 who has no valid passport. Does not expire.
Foreign driver's license	No	Yes	Identity only — must be paired.
U.S. driver's license	No	Yes	Identity only — must be paired.
U.S. state identification card	No	Yes	Identity only — must be paired.
U.S. military identification card	No	Yes	Identity only — must be paired.
Medical records	Yes	Yes	Dependents under 6 only. Read the two uses separately: as an identity or foreign-status document, and as proof of U.S. residency — where the applicant’s address and the doctor’s and facility’s address must all be U.S. addresses.
School records	Yes	Yes	Dependents under 24 only, if a student. Same two uses: as an identity or foreign-status document, and as proof of U.S. residency — where the applicant’s address and the school’s address must both be U.S. addresses.

SUFFICIENT ON ITS OWN

A valid passport. It is the only document that fills both columns by itself, which is why almost every successful application uses one.

NEEDS A PARTNER DOCUMENT

Any driver's licence, any U.S. state ID, a U.S. military ID. These prove who you are and nothing about your foreign status, so each has to be paired with something from the foreign-status column.

NOT ACCEPTED

A notarised copy of anything. A photocopy you made. An expired document. A birth certificate issued in the United States — this list is for foreign documents.

Source: IRS — ITIN supporting documents, read September 8, 2026. Column values cross-checked against the Instructions for Form W-7.

Five rules that decide most applications

The IRS wants original documents, or copies certified by the agency that issued them — the passport office, the registrar, the school.
Medical and school records do double duty, and the two uses have different requirements. Used to establish identity or foreign status, they follow the ordinary document rules. Used to prove a dependent’s U.S. residency, the record has to carry U.S. addresses — for the applicant, and for the doctor and facility or the school — and show a date of service or attendance within the 12 months before the application.
A notary cannot certify a document for an ITIN application. Notarized copies are not accepted. The one narrow exception is military personnel applying from an overseas address.
A certified copy must carry the issuing agency's official stamped seal.
If you send a passport, send every page, including the U.S. visa pages.
One passport covers both columns. Any other route needs two documents — one proving identity, one proving foreign status — or a single document that covers both.
A passport or national identification card is current if its expiration date has not passed before the date Form W-7 is submitted — for a mailed application, the postmark generally sets that date. A document that is valid when you submit does not become unacceptable because it expires later, while the IRS is still processing.

On expiry dates. A passport or national identification card is current if its expiration date has not passed before the date Form W-7 is submitted. For a mailed application the postmark generally establishes the submission date. A document that is current when you submit does not stop being acceptable because it expires while the IRS is still processing the application. The test is the submission date. A civil birth certificate has no expiration date and is treated as current at all times. A medical or school record must show dates of service or attendance within the 12 months before the date of the Form W-7 application.

Notarised is not certified. This is the single most common paperwork failure. A notary confirms that a signature is genuine. Certification for an ITIN means the agency that issued the document — the passport office, the civil registrar, the school — produces the copy and stamps it with its own official seal. The IRS does not accept notarised documents. The only narrow exception is for military personnel applying from an overseas address.

Source: IRS — ITIN supporting documents, read September 8, 2026.

Which route the checker recommends, and why

There are three ways to get a W-7 to the IRS, and the honest comparison turns on one column that service pages tend to bury: whether your original passport leaves your hands.

The three ways to submit Form W-7, compared

	By mail	IRS office	CAA
What it is	Mail to the IRS ITIN Operation	IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (TAC), in person	Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA)
Cost	Free (you pay postage)	Free	Fees vary — set by the agent, not the IRS
Do your original documents leave your hands?	Yes — originals mailed	No — returned same visit	Depends on the agent
Who checks your documents	The IRS ITIN Operation in Austin, Texas	An IRS employee, in front of you	The agent, who certifies and forwards the application
What that person cannot certify	Nothing — but nothing is checked before it is mailed either	School and medical records for dependents	Foreign military ID cards, and dependent documents other than passports and birth certificates
Appointment	None needed	Required — call ahead	Set by the agent
Best for	Applicants outside the U.S. with no agent nearby, and anyone whose documents are certified copies from the issuing agency	Anyone inside the U.S. who can reach a participating office and does not want to mail a passport	Applicants abroad, and anyone who wants the form checked by a person before it is filed
The risk nobody mentions	Your original passport is in the postal system and then at the IRS for weeks. A single wrong box on the W-7 restarts the whole wait.	Appointments are limited and not every office handles ITIN authentication — call before you travel.	You are paying for form-checking, not for speed. No agent can make the IRS decide faster, and any promise of a guaranteed approval is a promise nobody can keep.

The row that decides it for most people is the third one. Mailing is free, and it is the only route that puts your passport in the post for the better part of two months. If you have a trip, a visa appointment, a driving test or a bank appointment in that window, the free route is the expensive one.

Source: IRS — How to apply for an ITIN, read September 8, 2026.

Worked example

Why the free route is sometimes the expensive one

Ahmed lives in Houston and needs an ITIN to file with his wife. He has a valid passport and no particular deadline pressure, so mailing looks obvious — it costs a stamp.

Then he checks his calendar. His passport has to go with the application, and the IRS asks him to allow seven weeks to be told the outcome, or up to eleven weeks in filing season. Inside that window sit a visa renewal appointment that requires the passport, and a flight booked for a family wedding.

The free route would have cost him the appointment and the flight. An appointment at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center is also free, an IRS employee checks the documents in front of him, and the passport goes home in his pocket the same afternoon. Same cost, one fewer disaster.

Applying without a tax return: the exceptions, and what each one wants

Normally the W-7 and the return travel together. These situations replace the return with the exception's own evidence — and that evidence differs materially between them, which is the detail most summaries flatten away.

#	Who it covers	Exactly what goes in instead
1(a)	Partnership interest — passive income with third-party withholding or a treaty benefit A partner in a U.S. or foreign partnership that invests in the United States and holds assets generating income subject to IRS information reporting and federal tax withholding.	A copy of the portion of the partnership or LLC agreement that displays the partnership's employer identification number and shows that you are a partner in the partnership.
1(b)	Business bank account generating income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business An individual who has opened an interest-bearing business bank account generating income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business, subject to IRS information reporting.	An original signed letter from the bank, on its official letterhead, showing your name and stating that you have opened a business account that is subject to IRS information reporting.
1(c)	Individual deposit account held by a resident alien An individual who is a resident alien for tax purposes and has opened an interest-bearing deposit account generating income subject to IRS information reporting and federal tax withholding.	An original signed letter from the bank, on its official letterhead, showing your name and stating that you have opened an individual deposit account that is subject to IRS information reporting.
1(d)	Distributions of passive income — pensions, annuities, rental income, royalties, dividends An individual receiving distributions during the current tax year of income such as pensions, annuities, rental income, royalties or dividends, who must give a taxpayer identification number to the withholding agent.	An original document, or a signed letter from the withholding agent on official letterhead, showing your name and verifying that an ITIN is required to make distributions to you during the current tax year.
2(a)	Wages, salary, compensation and honoraria — treaty benefit claimed A nonresident alien claiming the benefit of a tax treaty that reduces or exempts withholding on wages, salary, compensation or honoraria payments, who is submitting Form 8233 to the payer.	An original letter of employment from the payer of the income, or a copy of the employment contract, or a letter requesting your presence to conduct business together with a contract. The treaty country and the treaty article you are relying on, entered on Form W-7. Also attach: Form 8233, with the withholding agent's portion completed.
2(b)	Scholarships, fellowships and grants — treaty benefit claimed A student, professor or researcher who is a nonresident alien claiming the benefit of a tax treaty on noncompensatory scholarship, fellowship or grant income, and who is submitting Form W-8BEN to the withholding agent.	An original letter or official notification from the college, university or other educational institution awarding the noncompensatory scholarship, fellowship or grant. A copy of your passport showing the valid U.S. visa issued to you. The treaty country and the treaty article, entered on Form W-7. A letter from the Social Security Administration declining to issue you an SSN — or, if you hold F-1, J-1 or M-1 status and will not be working, a letter from your Designated School Official or Responsible Officer instead. Also attach: A copy of Form W-8BEN given to the withholding agent.
2(c)	Scholarships, fellowships and grants — no treaty benefit claimed A student, professor or researcher who is a foreign individual receiving noncompensatory scholarship, fellowship or grant income subject to IRS information reporting or federal tax withholding during the current year, and who is not claiming a treaty benefit.	An original letter or official notification from the educational institution awarding the noncompensatory income. A copy of your passport showing the valid U.S. visa issued to you. A letter from your Designated School Official or Responsible Officer stating that you will be receiving noncompensatory income that is subject to IRS information reporting or federal tax withholding during the current year. A letter from the Social Security Administration declining to issue you an SSN — or, if you hold F-1, J-1 or M-1 status and will not be working, the DSO or RO letter stating that instead.
2(d)	Gambling winnings A nonresident alien receiving gambling winnings subject to IRS information reporting or federal tax withholding during the current tax year.	An original signed letter from the gambling establishment, on its official letterhead, showing your name and verifying that an ITIN is required for reporting or withholding of gambling winnings during the current tax year.
3	Third-party reporting of mortgage interest An individual with a home mortgage loan on real property located in the United States, where the mortgage interest is subject to third-party reporting.	An original signed letter from the financial institution or the mortgage servicing company, on its official letterhead, showing your name and verifying that an ITIN is required for mortgage interest reporting during the current tax year.
4	Disposition of a U.S. real property interest by a foreign person A party to a disposition of U.S. real property by a foreign person, where the transaction is subject to withholding by the transferee or buyer — or a person who has been granted a notice of non-recognition.	An original signed letter from the buyer or the buyer's representative, on official letterhead, showing your name and verifying that a withholding certificate is required. Or an original signed letter from the IRS approving your notice of non-recognition under Regulations section 1.1445-2(d)(2).
5	Reporting obligations under Treasury Decision 9363 A non-U.S. representative of a foreign corporation who needs an ITIN in order to meet the corporation's electronic filing requirement under T.D. 9363.	Enter "Exception 5, T.D. 9363" on the dotted line next to box h on Form W-7 — this exception is identified on the form itself. Documentation substantiating your authority to represent the foreign corporation, such as a letter from the corporation on its letterhead. Proof that you are not a U.S. resident. Evidence of the corporation's current electronic filing requirement.

Where a letter is the evidence, the letter matters as much as the form. It has to come from the institution that needs the number, on their letterhead, naming you, and saying why a taxpayer identification number is required. A generic letter that does not say why is a CP566 waiting to happen. And where a letter is not the evidence — Exception 1(a), Exception 4, Exception 5 — sending one instead is the same mistake with an extra step.

Source: IRS — Instructions for Form W-7 (Rev. 12/2024), read September 8, 2026. Transcribed from the Exceptions Tables in the Instructions for Form W-7.

How applications get rejected, and how to avoid each

A CP567 notice means the application was rejected. The IRS gives three broad reasons — you may not be eligible, the documents may not have been valid, or a request for more information went unanswered. Underneath those, the specific causes repeat.

What went wrong	What to do instead
A notarized copy was sent instead of an agency-certified copy.	Get the copy certified by the agency that issued the document, or use an in-person route so nothing has to be certified at all.
The name on the W-7 does not match the name on the passport.	Copy the passport exactly, in the same order, including every middle name and any hyphen.
No tax return attached, and no exception claimed.	Either attach the return the ITIN is for, or claim one of the five exceptions and attach that exception's own evidence.
A dependent's passport had no U.S. entry date and nothing else proved U.S. residency.	Add a U.S. medical record (under 6) or school record (under 24), or use a passport that carries the entry stamp.
A document had already expired on the day the application was submitted.	Check every expiry date against your submission date — the postmark, if you are mailing. A passport that is current when you submit stays acceptable even if it expires later, while the IRS is still processing.
The applicant was, in fact, eligible for a Social Security number.	Apply to the Social Security Administration instead. The IRS will not issue an ITIN to someone who can get an SSN.

Source: IRS — Understanding your CP567 notice, read September 8, 2026.

The Form W-7 walkthrough covers what to do when a notice arrives, including why re-filing without reading the reason produces the same answer a second time.

Frequently asked questions

Does this checker tell me whether the IRS will approve my ITIN application?

No, and nothing can. Only the IRS decides, and it decides on your complete application. What this tool does is apply the published rules to your answers so you can see which reason code fits, which submission route suits your circumstances, and which documents your specific case needs — before you spend six weeks finding out you were missing one.

Is my information stored anywhere?

No account is required, and your answers are processed locally in your browser rather than transmitted to or stored by TaxSaveIQ. They are held in the page while you use it and disappear when you close the tab. Standard website analytics and technical logs still apply across the site, as our privacy policy explains — but they carry no answer you gave this tool.

What documents do I need for an ITIN application?

It depends on whether you have a passport. A valid passport is the only document that proves both identity and foreign status on its own, so with one you need the passport, Form W-7, and the tax return. Without one you need two documents — one from each column — and if the applicant is a dependent under 18 with no passport, a foreign civil birth certificate is required.

Which Form W-7 reason code should I tick?

Box b or c if you are filing your own return, as a nonresident or a resident respectively. Box d if you are a dependent, box e if you are a spouse. Box f covers students, professors and researchers. Box h covers the exceptions, where a payer needs your number and you write the reason on the line. The checker picks the box that matches your answers.

Can I apply for an ITIN without attaching a tax return?

Only if one of five exceptions applies: passive income with third-party withholding or a treaty benefit, certain wages and scholarships, third-party reporting of mortgage interest, the sale of U.S. real property by a foreign person, or a narrow reporting rule. Each replaces the return with its own evidence, and the evidence is not the same across them. Exception 1(a) wants the portion of the partnership agreement showing the partnership's EIN and that you are a partner — not a letter at all. Exception 2(a) adds Form 8233; 2(b) adds Form W-8BEN plus your passport with the visa and a school-official or SSA letter. Exception 4 wants the buyer's letter or an IRS non-recognition approval. The checker asks which one applies and gives you that exception's list.

Why does the checker ask how old the applicant is?

Because age changes what the IRS will accept, both for identity and for proof of U.S. residency. Medical records only work as supporting documents for a dependent under 6. School records only work under 24. A civil birth certificate is required for an applicant under 18 who has no valid passport. And the residency documents differ by band: under 6 the instructions accept a U.S. medical record, school record, state ID or visa; 6 to 17 accepts a school record, state ID, driver's licence or visa; 18 and over adds a bank or rental statement or a utility bill showing a U.S. address. Asking the age is how the tool avoids handing you the full thirteen-row table and leaving you to guess.

Why does the checker ask where the dependent lives and what they are claimed for?

Because those two answers, together with the passport, decide whether U.S. residency has to be proved at all. A passport showing a U.S. date of entry settles it. So does being a dependent of U.S. military personnel stationed overseas — an exception named in the Form W-7 instructions. So does being from Canada or Mexico and being claimed for an allowable tax benefit other than the Credit for Other Dependents. A dependent from Canada or Mexico claimed only for that $500 credit does still have to prove residency, unless the military exception covers them. Asking one question fewer would produce the wrong document list for four of those five cases.

Why does the checker ask whether I actually have a job, not just what visa I hold?

Because the Social Security Administration issues a number against evidence of authorised employment, not against a visa category — so being permitted to work is not the same as being SSN-eligible. An F-1 student may take on-campus employment, but until there is a job the SSA has nothing to issue against. F-1, J-1 and M-1 also permit different work: an M-1 student may not take on-campus employment and is not eligible for curricular practical training, so the only route is practical training after the course of study on a USCIS employment authorisation document. Getting that wrong sends someone to the wrong agency for two months.

Do I have to use a Certifying Acceptance Agent?

No. Applying by mail is free, and applying in person at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center is also free and returns your documents the same visit. A Certifying Acceptance Agent is a private business that charges its own fee for checking and forwarding your application. It can be worth it, particularly from abroad, but no agent can make the IRS decide faster.

The checker says I should get an SSN instead. Why?

Because the IRS will not issue an ITIN to anyone eligible for a Social Security number — that is a condition of eligibility, not a preference. If your immigration status permits employment, you are eligible, and applying to the Social Security Administration is free. An SSN also reaches credits an ITIN cannot, including the Child Tax Credit and the education credits.

After the number arrives

An ITIN is the start of the tax work, not the end of it. These tools are free, need no account, and run in your browser the same way this checker does.

2026 federal tax calculator — what you actually owe on the return the W-7 is attached to.
Self-employment tax calculator — if your U.S. income is 1099 or business income. See also quarterly estimated tax planner.
Family Tax Credit Finder — which credits your household can claim once you know who holds which number.
IRS form guides — plain-English walkthroughs of the schedules your return will need.

More in this ITIN guide

What is an ITIN?

Who needs one, who does not, and what it does and does not get you

How to Apply: Form W-7

The form line by line, the three routes, and the document rules

ITIN vs SSN

What each number lets you do — the honest comparison

Spouse & Dependents

Household cases, including dependents living abroad

International Students & Scholars

F-1, J-1, M-1: ITIN or SSN, and when

Renewal & Expiration

Which ITINs expire, how to tell, and how to renew

Educational content — not tax, legal or immigration advice. This page explains published IRS rules in plain English. Whether the IRS issues you an ITIN is decided only by the IRS, based on your full application. An ITIN has no effect on immigration status, and nothing here is immigration advice — for that, speak to a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative. Rules and processing times change; confirm current figures with the IRS before you act. Full disclaimer.