> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dotsdev.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Users

> How to work with the users API

A `user` is a representation of a person or entity in the Dots system. A `user` can be created by a platform or by the `user` themselves but can be connected to any platform.

The platform can add additional data to a `user` such as an SSN and address for tax purposes and add bank accounts and other payment methods.

## Creating a user

Creating users happens through the [/v2/users](/apireference/v2/users/create-user) endpoint. Once hit, a dots user will be created if one does not exist based on phone number. This user must then be verified through a one-time code sent over text-message. This code can be requested through the [/v2/users/\{user\_id}/send-verification-token](/apireference/v2/users/send-verification-token) endpoint and then verified through the [/v2/users/\{user\_id}/verify](/apireference/v2/users/verify-user) endpoint.

## TIN submission and verification

A user's Tax Identification Number (TIN) is either their United States
Social Security Number (SSN), Employer Identification Number (EIN), or
their Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN). A user's TIN may be
submitted through a [payout link](/guides/payout-links), a
[compliance flow](/guides/flow-payouts), or through
[POST /users/:id/compliance](/apireference/users/submit-compliance-information)
API endpoint.

Once submitted, a user's TIN will automatically be verified. This
usually takes a few seconds, or rarely up to a day. You can check the
status of the TIN verification in the `compliance.w9.tax_id_verification`
field returned the [GET /user/:id](/apireference/users/retrieve-a-user) endpoint.
The possible statuses are:

* `unsubmitted`: The user's TIN has not been submitted yet.
* `pending`: The user's TIN is pending verification.
* `matched`: The user's TIN was successfully verified and matched their name.
* `mismatched`: The user's TIN did not match their name.

A mismatched TIN may be corrected by resubmitting the correct TIN.

## OFAC compliance

Dots verifies that all users are not sanctioned by the US Office of
Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). When a user is created, we query the
OFAC's list of sanctioned individuals. If a user matches an entry on the
list, we flag them and require them to verify their identity. The flag
will be cleared when we confirm they are not a sanctioned individual.

You can check a user's OFAC compliance status by reading the
`compliance.flags.ofac_status` field returned by the
[GET /user/:id](/apireference/users/retrieve-a-user) endpoint. The
possible statuses are:

* `unflagged`: The user is unflagged.
* `id_verification_required`: The user must complete ID verification.
* `in_review`: The user has completed ID verification and requires
  a manual review.
* `flagged`: The user is suspected of being a sanctioned individual.