Getting a National Insurance number

You only need to apply for a National Insurance number if you were not given one automatically. Most people who grew up in the UK are sent theirs shortly before their 16th birthday. If you have moved to the UK to work, you apply online on gov.uk, and you can usually start your job before the number arrives as long as you can prove your right to work. A lost number is looked up, and no new application is needed.

Check whether you already have one

You may have a number without realising it. Look in these places first:

• a payslip, P60 or P45 from any UK job
• letters from HMRC or the Department for Work and Pensions
• your HMRC personal tax account or the HMRC app
• the back of a biometric residence permit, if you were issued one with a number printed on it.

A National Insurance number is two letters, six digits and a final letter, for example QQ 12 34 56 C. It never changes, even if you leave the UK for years. If you cannot find it, use the gov.uk service to find a lost National Insurance number. You can see it in the HMRC app or have it posted to your address. In most cases HMRC does not give it out over the phone.

Who needs to apply

You need to apply if you live in the UK, have the right to work here and have never had a number. That usually means people who have arrived on a work visa (including the Health and Care Worker visa and the Skilled Worker visa), people with settled or pre-settled status who came to the UK as adults, and family members of visa holders who now want to work.

Some visa holders are given a number as part of their immigration process. If that is you, it will be on your documents or in your Home Office account, and you should not apply again.

You do not need a National Insurance number to look for work, accept a job offer or start working. Your employer needs it to report your pay to HMRC correctly, and you will need it to claim most benefits and to check your State Pension record.

How to apply

The application is on gov.uk at “Apply for a National Insurance number”. You will need:

• your passport, eVisa details or other identity document
• your address in the UK
• details of your immigration status, if you are not a British or Irish citizen.

The online form asks you to prove your identity, which can involve photographing your identity document and taking a photo of yourself with your phone. Some people are asked for more information or to attend an appointment.

There is no fee. Be wary of any website that charges to apply on your behalf, since the only route is the free gov.uk service.

HMRC sends the number by post once the application is approved. Processing times vary; gov.uk shows current timings.

Starting work before it arrives

You can start a job while you wait. Your employer’s legal duty is to check your right to work before you start, which is a separate matter from National Insurance. Public sector employers do this as part of pre-employment checks, usually with your passport or a Home Office share code. The right to work checks guide explains what they will ask for.

Until your number arrives, payroll reports your pay to HMRC without it. You still pay income tax and National Insurance as normal. HMRC cannot match you to a record yet, so you are more likely to be on an emergency tax code at first; see emergency tax codes. Give the number to payroll as soon as you receive it so your contributions are credited to your record.

Why it matters for your record

Every contribution you pay is recorded against your number. That record decides your State Pension and your entitlement to contribution-based benefits. If your employer has the wrong number, or none, your contributions can end up unallocated.

Check your record once you have the number. Your HMRC personal tax account shows each employer, the pay and tax reported, and your NI history. If an employer is missing, ask their payroll team to confirm what number they hold.

Using your number in public sector jobs

NHS trusts, councils, schools and Civil Service departments all ask for your National Insurance number during onboarding, usually alongside your bank details and P45. NHS employers also use it to link you to your NHS Pension Scheme record, and teachers’ and local government pensions do the same. Give the same number each time you change jobs within the public sector so your pension and tax records follow you. National Insurance explained covers the rates you will see deducted, and the Health and Care Worker visa guide covers the immigration side for NHS and care roles.