In order to start legally working in the UK you need to obtain National Insurance Number (NI). This is your registration number which is needed when you sign an employment contract. Employers need it to deduct your taxes, local authorities to provide financial benefits and it is also required for dealings with the Inland Revenue. Note that this is not optional – it is a requirement for everyone to have it. You are eligible for this card since you turn 16 years old. UK residents should receive the card automatically once they turn 16, however, new entrants to the country will need to apply.
- It is free! Be aware of any companies that may charge you to complete documents for National Insurance Number. The service is absolutely free.
How much is National Insurance Number?
What documents do you need to apply for NI?
- 3 confirmations that you are actively looking for a job. These can either be letters or emails with potential employer’s name and address or official email address. All these 3 confirmations can be easily replaced by 1 employment contract if you have already been offered a position. However, employers are not keen on issuing these before they have your National Insurance Number since this is the main proof you are entitled to work within the UK. To obtain these confirmations you will need to send out your CV to several places. When I was a student in my National Insurance Number meeting I presented an official interview confirmation from McDonald’s and a rejection letter from Greggs. I actually got away with two confirmations at the time but I am not sure whether this is always possible. It is sufficient to have an email saying “Thank you, we have received your application for the position and will be contacting you in due course”. It is one of examples how your confirmation may look like. So three of those and you can call to schedule your interview. You can of course arrange an interview in advance – just make sure you obtain these before you attend it.
- Confirmation of an address. If you are living with someone else and you are not paying any bills, have no bank account or mobile phone contract you are facing a bit of a problem. If you are a student you can ask your University administration to issue an official letter on a headed paper confirming your term time address. If the first option, you will need to open a bank account. Lloyds Bank is quite keen at opening accounts for new entrants into the country. You will need to bring a current account customer (may be your friend living with you) to vouch for you living with them. We have applied this is practice and it worked!
- Eligibility to work in the UK. There is no need to evidence this for European Economic Area (EEA) residents (this is EU plus Switzerland citizens). However, if you are from a country outside EEA you need to bring all the documents you possibly can in relation to your visa and confirming your identity.
- Proof of Identity. This is obviously your passport. According to the Government website a driving licence and birth certificate could also be used for the purpose. Please note that National Identity Card may no longer act for this purpose since the UK have recently started shifting from this kind of proof of identity claiming that they can be easily forged. For example, I once tried to using this in the currency exchange shop when trying to buy a lump sum of £££ and they have refused it. They said that I need to present either a passport or at least a driving licence.
You can read about a complete application process at HM Revenue & Customs website or on Gov.uk.
How to schedule an interview?
TIP
You need to call Jobcentre Plus application line on 0345 600 0643. Lines are open 8.00 am to 6.00 pm Monday to Friday.
I have now mentioned the interview twice but I have not explained how this works. It is called an interview but as long as you bring all relevant documentation you will get your card. For the interview you will have to go to one of local Job Centres, this will be explained to you during the call.
Obviously you are going to be asked some questions. Such as relevant residency information (all of previous residential addresses including overseas), birth details (place, mother’s name, father’s name, siblings), purpose of coming to the UK (do not be afraid to say “to work” if that is true), etc.
As long as you do not make any major mistakes in your application National Insurance Number will arrive by post in around two weeks’ time . National Insurance Cards are no longer issued – you now only get a letter where your number will be stated. Please ensure you keep it safe or make a note of it elsewhere.
Temporary National Insurance Number
This is a code your employer used to use to complete your records while you don’t have a permanent one. Your temporary National Insurance Number is TN DD MM YY F/M. DD stands for your day of birth and MM & YY stand for month and year respectively. F/M stand for female and male. So if you are John Smith who is born in 1986 April 26, your temporary National Insurance Number would have been TN 26 04 86 M.
Employers are no longer permitted to use TN numbers and they will not be accepted by the Quality Standard. If the employer does not know an employee’s NINO when they submit their end of year return, they should leave the NINO box blank, enter the employee’s date of birth and gender in the appropriate boxes on the form, following the guidance in Employers’ Guidance, or on the HMRC internet site. In simple words: as of mid 2010, YOU WILL NOT BE GIVEN TEMPORARY INSURANCE NUMBER ANYMORE. You will always have to apply for a full NI regardless if it is a full-time job or just a short summer placement.
National Insurance Contributions (correct as at 1st February 2015)
These are different for employed and self-employed.
If you’re employed
If you’re employed you pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions. The rates are:
- if you earn more than £153 a week and up to £805 a week, you pay 12% of the amount you earn between £153 and £805;
- if you earn more than £805 a week, you also pay 2% of all your earnings over £805.
Your contributions are deducted from your wages by your employer.
If you’re self-employed
If you’re self-employed you pay Class 2 and Class 4 National Insurance contributions. The rates are:
- Class 2 National Insurance contributions are paid at a flat rate of £2.75 a week;
- Class 4 National Insurance contributions are paid as a percentage of your annual taxable profits – 9% on profits between £7,956 and £41,865, and a further 2 per cent on profits over that amount.
If your profits are expected to be less than £5,885 you may not have to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions.
Your Class 2 National Insurance contributions payments are due on 31 January and 31 July, the same as a Self Assessment tax bill. You pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions either monthly or six monthly by Direct Debit – follow the first link below for more information about payment dates.
You pay Class 4 National Insurance contributions when you pay your Income Tax.
Source: HMRC
hello i am 15 british and have been offerd a summer job what do i need. would i need a nin?
Yes, all you need is NIN. Please call them to arrange your interview.
Hiya just wonder i have national insurance but till now i havent recieve the card one i only have letter containing my nayional insurance number.its been more than 2 yrs now.can i request thw card national insurance ID pls…
I believe NI card posting has stopped, my friend did not get his NI card which he ordered 2 years ago either, only a paper letter. It is not a problem as long as you know your NI – you do not need plastic card ;)
I have visa but I don’t have working hours but can I get N I number
Hi, if your visa is a working visa and you are currently looking for a job you can apply to get NI number. If you are a student you still can work to support yourself whilst you are studying, however, there is a limit of 20 hours per week for international students. If this is a case you again need to apply for NI number.
hello, I came to the UK to work for a month, I’m here from July 26, leaving Sept. 1, do I need to apply for a NIN or do I automatically receives temporary, which is enough for one month?
Hi, unfortunately you still need to apply. Otherwise your employer will be employing you illegally.
Hi,
I’m just wondering for EU seasonal workers .. after the interview, when they can actually start working ?
Do they have to wait for the letter or shall they start the job day after?
Thank you.
Hi Frankie. There is no reason stopping a person to start working before they get their national insurance numbers.
Hi, can you use a temporary NI no. for job applications ie TN date of Birth etc ?
Hi Mary. I would advise it would benefit to leave the NI section blank as the temporary insurance numbers are no longer valid. If you already looking for a job you can just register for your national insurance number interview by calling 0845 915 7006.
hi i receive my work permit and visa along with insurence card number know i m wating for my appointment in india uk office so i just wants to know about the interview what are the thing require for the interview can u guide me please thanks
and my visa is for 2 years j1 visa so kindly guide me
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Now I’m confused, I went ot a Job Centre a few days ago and they said I had to have work in order to get a NIN, that they needed a payslip to give me an appointment? Which seemed odd but I didn’t think too much of it, and then I read this and I don’t know anymore… What should I do? I’m an EU citizen btw.
Hi Elena, it depends on the Job Centre, you will get different advice per area.. all you need if proof that you are either actively looking for a job (minimum 3 letters thanking you for application), offer of employment or even email which invites you to the interview.
hi im 17 and i came to the uk about a month ago can i apply for n.i ??
Hi, you can apply for NI from being 16, so yes, but only if there is a reason for applying: you need to prove you have a job offer, already working or that you are very actively looking for a job
Can i still get it even though im not a citizen of the uk?
If you are planning to work in UK you have to have it otherwise you will not be paid or will be put on emergency tax code meaning you will pay large amounts of tax. It does not matter if you are citizen or not, NI is only used to track your tax payments, it really does not give any extra benefits except state pension if you are planning to stay here for 30 years or so
My daughter will be starting university next year, and will need a student loan. We currently live in the United Arab Emirates. She will be in the UK from 20th December until the 26th of December. In order to apply for a student loan, she needs a national insurance number. Could you please advise?
There is NI field on the Student Loan form, but it is not mandatory to fill, just leave it blank when filling it in. Once she gets NI, she will enter in as part of year 2/3 documentation.
Hello,
I’m Italian and want to apply for a National Insurance number.
I heard that David Cameron will do a new law about benefits for immigrants.
Will the time of application procedure become longer? Will it take longer time in the average, to get the Nin?
I specify that I don’t wanna claim for benefits, but just to get the Nin to work.
Regards
Andrea
Hi Andrea, I have no idea if changes affected processing times (probably not at all). One you get a job offer you will get NI with no issues…
Hi, I’m a Greek freelancer (photographer) and I’m about tho change my business base from Greece to the U.K. , more specifically London. I’ve been spending about 40% of my time in the UK for about a year, got a UK bank account and also rent a permanent shared office space here, but no legit residence as I’ve been staying in various places short-term. I’ve got an appointment with them end of Jan. Do you think there would be a problem?
As long as you can prove that you are self-employed you will be fine, don’t forget you will have to pay National Insurance contributions as self employed ;)
Hi,
I’ve called job centre and made an appointment for an interview.The problem is that they schedule it in 2 weeks from the call.I already had been offered a job(and can proove it ),but the companys policy is that they wount hire pepole without an Nino.They told me that they will hold the job for me,but i dont know for how long.My question is: Can I do enything to speed up the process?Can I go straight to the job centre and try to talk to somebody so that they will change the interview date ?Or should I just wait for the date of the interview?Ivd read that getting a temporary Nino is out of the question,right? Thank you.
I am afraid there is no way to speed up the process and only specific offices issue NI numbers. Ask your employer to withhold your salary until you get it if they cannot wait and then once you get it they could pay you for the whole period you worked. Regarding temporary numbers they are history…
Hi, i have applied for a national insurance number, based that i am still waiting for a visa, because i recently got married, and i have been given the right to work from the home office, for six months, but still awaiting for te visa, no decision has been made yet for my visa, now will i be getting a temporary national insurance number or a normal one, which will be for the rest of my life.
Hi Alexander, if you are issued with NI it will be permanent one, there are no things as temporary NI numbers anymore. Please note that getting NI is similar to getting Visa, you need to pass the criteria to get it and it is never guaranteed that you will get it (they might for example need your visa to be available before you can get NI etc.)
Hi, i posed yesterday a question, and i can see that it has been deleted, may i ask why please, if i have broken a rule or a similar thing i apologise.
Thank you
Each post has to be manually approved by us – you just have to wait for us to reply and it will become visible. This is because we get around 100 spam replies every day…
To Admin, hi, i do apogise for posting a couple of times, i guess i was a bit ancious for an answer, thank you for your answer, thanks a lot, Alexander
Hi, Can i use tenancy agreement like a proof of address?
Hi Mat, unfortunately this is not an acceptable proof of address.
Hi i’m a British Citizen and I have just turned 17 and have still not received my national insurance number? I recently got a job and they will not pay my until I receive a national insurance number.
Hello and thank you for the information provided. I would like to ask, which are the differences between temporary and permanent NIN? And second if there is an expire date like passports? Thank you again, Stergios
Hi, no expiry date. As noted in the article temporary NIN no longer exists.
Hello, Can I work with temporary NIN?The nin should arrive December 15th
Hi Marco, temporary NIN is no longer in use. Unfortunately you will have to wait.
i have two Italians renting a room from me, on a temporary basis through Airbnb and they have asked for a letter confirming that they are ‘living’ at my address.
is it just simply a one line letter of saying “XYZ lives at the above address”?
Regards
Hi Zach, I would suggest you do not proceed with writing them a letter confirming their address. They will need to find a permanent place to live before they make arrangements for their employment.
Hello! I’m an EU citizen, and I’m planning to go to work in UK. Can I still work without NI number until I’ll get one? How less they will pay me, until I’ll get the IN? In percentage?
Hi Jevgenija, no you cannot work unless you have NI number.
Hi, I’m 21, I’m British and have been living in Spain since I was 13. Therefore I never received my NI. I have a job offer and I have applied for it to be re-activated since its deactivated. This job offer won’t be here for ever and I really need the confirmation that the process is going through so that they can employ me till I get my number which should be in 4 weeks I’m told.
Is there anything I can do to speed this process up? Maybe they could send me an email with confirmation? If so how would I do so?
I’ve been waiting a week now and I don’t know how much longer the offer will be there, so if there’s anything at all I could do I would be really greatful
Thanks in advance
D
Hi Darius. You could try calling NI helpline to explain your situation and see if they can update you on the progress. Unfortunately I do not believe there is anything else you can do at this stage. I would suggest also trying to explain the situation to your future employer. 4 weeks is a normal notice period in the UK and waiting for you to be processed for 4 weeks should not be too long for them. Once you have accepted the offer – you should be able to negotiate your start date and here you can leave some leeway allowing you some time to obtain NI prior to your start date. I hope you succeed!
I have applied for a National insurance number, can I work after the interview?
You will need to discuss this with your employer.