What Is a HIN? CHESS-Sponsored Share Ownership Explained

What is a Holder Identification Number?

A Holder Identification Number is the identifier used for a sponsored holder on the CHESS subregister. ASX says the HIN links holding details in CHESS with the holder's registration information, such as name and address.

A HIN is often compared with an account number because one HIN can identify multiple CHESS-sponsored holdings associated with that sponsored holder.

HIN vs SRN

A HIN relates to broker-sponsored holdings on the CHESS subregister. An SRN, or Securityholder Reference Number, relates to an issuer-sponsored holding recorded through the issuer's share registry.

ASX notes that a person can use the same HIN across their CHESS holdings, while issuer-sponsored holdings generally have a different SRN for each holding.

What if a platform does not give you a HIN?

Some platforms hold securities through a custodian. In that case the investor may have a beneficial interest while legal title is held by the custodian. The absence of a personal HIN is therefore a prompt to investigate the custody arrangement, not enough information by itself to describe the investor's rights.

What to check on a platform

When a platform advertises CHESS sponsorship, verify whether the HIN is issued to you for the relevant Australian holdings and whether the statement applies to every product you plan to use. International shares, fractional shares and other products can use different custody arrangements even when Australian shares are CHESS sponsored.