CUIL and CUIT in Argentina: what they are and how Americans get them

CUIL, CUIT, and the DNI underneath both

Every Argentine payslip and invoice carries an 11-digit number, and the acronyms attached to it describe who holds the registration. ANSES, the social-security agency, assigns the CUIL (Código Único de Identificación Laboral) from your DNI record. Employers use it to register a job, pay pension and health contributions, and issue payslips.

The CUIT (Clave Única de Identificación Tributaria) is the same number registered with ARCA, the tax agency called AFIP until October 2024; afip.gob.ar now redirects to arca.gob.ar. Registering for tax activity with ARCA turns your CUIL into your CUIT, and for an individual the digits are identical. Only the registration differs.

Both follow the pattern XX-XXXXXXXX-X: a two-digit prefix, usually 20 for men and 27 for women, your DNI number, and a check digit. The DNI in the middle is why residence comes first, since ANSES and ARCA both build the number from the identity record RENAPER holds.

Which number your situation calls for

A formal job with an Argentine employer needs a CUIL, and being an employee never requires a CUIT. Invoicing Argentine clients, joining the monotributo (one monthly payment covering income tax and social security for small earners), renting out property, or running a business all call for a CUIT.

The CDI (Clave de Identificación) covers one-off transactions that ARCA tracks, such as buying property or a car, or opening some bank accounts, when no DNI exists yet. The DNI itself is the identity card underneath all three.

If a purchase is behind the CDI question, browse homes for sale on PlataPlace. Its plain-English search is the simplest way to compare properties, while ARCA and the escribano handle the identifier needed for an actual deed.

How the CUIL arrives

The CUIL appears automatically once residence is granted and the DNI is issued. Temporary residence carries a Migraciones fee of ARS 100,000 for US citizens, and the first foreign-resident DNI costs ARS 20,000 at a RENAPER or Registro Civil appointment, reaching your mailbox in 2–6 weeks.

ANSES publishes the number through its Constancia de CUIL on anses.gob.ar: entering the DNI details produces a free PDF certificate, which is also the quickest way to look up a CUIL you have forgotten. When nothing comes up, an ANSES appointment with the DNI in hand settles it at the office.

The employer receives the number next and registers the job under it. From then on the payslips and contributions carry the same digits.

Registering the CUIT and clave fiscal

ARCA's Inscripción digital on arca.gob.ar registers the CUIT from your DNI, and an ARCA office does the same in person. Registration produces the number and a Constancia de inscripción, the public record that clients and banks often ask to see and that anyone can look up.

The clave fiscal is the password for ARCA's online services. A first level can be issued online, and raising it to a higher level happens in person at an ARCA office with your DNI; that higher level unlocks monotributo registration and filings.

Most freelancers with Argentine clients register for the monotributo and pick the category matching their expected yearly revenue. ARCA revises the category thresholds regularly, so the band gets rechecked as revenue changes.

If you have no DNI yet

Tourists, who get 90 days visa-free, and digital nomads, who hold 180-day transitory residence with no DNI, have no identity record for ANSES or ARCA to build on. A CDI can be requested in person at an ARCA office with a passport for a one-off transaction, and ARCA also publishes a special CUIT procedure for some foreigners without a DNI.

These numbers record employment and tax registration. Permission to work comes from the residence category: rentista and pensionado residents cannot take Argentine employment, and the digital nomad visa covers only work for foreign employers and clients. Once the number exists, the same 11 digits answer payroll, invoicing, and tax questions; only the registration behind them changes.