Employment Verification

A verification of employment allows you to prove your employment and income—a necessary step in many life events involving credit, financing, or securing social service benefits or services.

You may be asked for this information when you:

• move into an apartment
• apply for a loan or credit
• apply for a job or request aid from a social service agency

Boston University has partnered with The Work Number to provide secure, automated, and instant employment and income verification for BU faculty, staff, temporary employees, and student employees. With The Work Number, verifying agencies are able to access your information quickly and easily online, at any time.

How Does this Service Work?

You provide the verifier with The Work Number website (www.theworknumber.com), the Boston University code (17160 for faculty and staff; 17310 for student employees), your Social Security number, and your consent to verify the information (this is normally a signed acknowledgement during the application process; a Salary Key may be required in some instances).

What Is a Salary Key and How do I Get One?

In most cases, the verifier obtains your consent to have income verified during the application process. When additional consent is needed, The Work Number offers the Salary Key; you can generate a Salary Key online www.theworknumber.com/employees or by phone at 1-800-367-2884 (M–F, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. EST). First enter the Boston University code (17160 for faculty and staff; 17310 for student employees) and your user ID and PIN. Once logged in, select the option to create a Salary Key and the system will generate a random 6-digit number. This is a single-use code—you must create a new Salary Key for each income verification needed. You may have up to three codes active at one time.

If logging into the system for the first time, please use this default user ID and PIN combination:
User ID—Social Security number (9 digits, no dashes)
PIN—Birthdate following the MMDDYYYY format (8 digits, no dashes)

Once an account is established, you can change or personalize your login information. If needed, The Work Number Customer Service Center can reset logins.

Is The Work Number the Only Way Lenders Can Verify my Employment?

Yes. All requests will be forwarded to your verifier with instructions on how to use this service.

Who Can I Call with Questions?

The Work Number Customer Service Center is available by phone at 1-800-367-2884 (M–F, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. EST).