Getting a National Insurance Number in the UK
How do you tell if the next person coming in your direction is a male or a female? That is not a difficult task to do you may say! When you meet with someone with the features of a woman, you easily identify her as a female. If the person happens to have the features of a Man, you identify him as a male. That is all. Well, I agree with you. Most times, external features help us identify people easily. The hair, color, height, weight, skin color and so on. On the contrary, the aforementioned things are not majorly what are required of you to work in the United Kingdom. The very first detail your employer would take from you is your National Insurance Number. What is the National Insurance Number? Why is it important? How can you get it in the UK?
Your UK National Insurance number (NIN) is a unique personal number given you that is used to identify you to HM Revenue and Customs and the Department of Work and Pensions. There is a contribution you make towards the UK social security and state pension system. Your number enables the government to ensure that there are proper and adequate records which you are entitled to and attached to your NI number. It is important that you get your NI number if you want to work in the UK. You submit it to your employer’s account department for taxation purposes and contributions. In the absence of your NI number, your contributions towards NI payments will be more than normal payments. Also, in a situation whereby you have made overpaid taxes, you will not be able to claim it. Therefore, it is vital that you obtain your National Insurance Number as soon as you start working to avoid any unnecessary headache. You may also apply for it even if you are not yet employed. After all being said, how do you get the NI number?
If you live in the UK, you should be sent a National Insurance number automatically just before your 16th birthday. On the other hand, to get a number, you must have the right to work or study in the UK. If you are moving to the UK, you can only apply once you are there. There are two ways to apply. You either do it yourself or use agencies available to help you get it.
If you opt to do it yourself, what is required of you to do is to make an NI number appointment at your local Job Centre Plus. Call in to schedule an appointment. To your appointment venue, you are expected to bring along the following:
- Proof of your identity
- A verifiable details of all your past years of work and travel
- How and when you arrived in the UK
An appointment will be booked for you at your nearest Job centre office to work out the modalities of securing your National Insurance Number
If you chose to use a service to assist you, all you need is to provide the details requested from you and do a follow up. Some of the details may be closely related to the ones listed above, but you be helped through them.
