National Insurance numbers (NINOs)
This note discusses the process by which National Insurance numbers (NINOs) are allocated and the uses to which they are put.
Each person’s entitlement to contributory benefits, based on their record of paying National Insurance contributions (NICs) on their earnings or profits, is tracked by their own National Insurance number (NINO).
A NINO is not proof of identity. It should not be relied on by employers as proof that someone has the right to work in the UK.
What is the process for obtaining a NINO?Most people are automatically given a number as they approach age 16. Anyone who is resident or present in Great Britain and over 16, who is employed or self-employed or who wishes to pay voluntary (Class 3) NICs, and who is not already in possession of a NINO, is required to make an application for one.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) publish guidance for those who need to make an application for a NINO, as well as for those who need to find their NINO. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) deal with NINO applications for individuals living in England, Scotland and Wales; a separate procedure applies to individuals living in Northern Ireland, administered by the Department for Social Development (DSD).
If someone has a biometric residence permit (BRP), they may have a NINO already. If so, it will be printed on the back of their BRP. If someone needs to make a NINO application to apply for benefits or a student loan, they may apply as part of their application.
HMRC’s guidance underlines that applicants waiting to receive a NINO may still take up employment provided they can prove they can work in the UK, and can still apply for benefits or a student loan.0F0F HMRC’s guidance notes that once someone has made an application, it can take up to 4 weeks for a NINO to be issued.
Individuals making an application for a NINO have been required to attend an interview at a JobCentre Plus office to prove their identity.
During the Covid-19 pandemic these in-person interviews were suspended, resulting in considerable delays in the applications process. In autumn 2020 the government announced plans to set up a digital solution to reduce the length of the NINO interview and enable the reinstatement of a shortened face-to-face service. Subsequently the new National Insurance Number Service was launched in April 2021.
What was the last major change in the eligibility criteria for obtaining a NINO?In July 2006 the Home Affairs Committee expressed concerns that in some cases NINOs had been issued to individuals without a check on the applicant’s immigration status or their right to work or to benefits, in a report on immigration control.5F5F
At this time the government announced changes both in the administrative arrangements for allocating NINOs and in the statutory requirements placed on individuals to apply for a NINO, so as to prevent illegal workers being allocated a number.6F6F Regulations to give effect to these changes were introduced in November that year (SI 2006/2897, as amended by SI 2008/223