UK National Insurance Number (NINO) Complete 2026/27 Guide
National Insurance numbers 2026/27: the format, how to apply from the UK or abroad, what to do if you lose yours, and Right to Work checks.
UK National Insurance number guide for 2026/27: the format, how to get a number growing up in the UK or after moving here, how to find a lost number, NINO vs UTR, how your number carries your State Pension record, Right to Work checks and employer penalties, name and immigration status changes, scams, benefits and starting a new job. Sources are gov.uk, legislation.gov.uk and the NHS.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a National Insurance Number (NINO)?
Your National Insurance number makes sure your National Insurance contributions and tax are recorded against your name only, and it stays the same for life, even if your personal details change (gov.uk). Format: 2 letters, 6 numbers and a final letter, for example QQ123456B. Some two-letter prefixes are never issued (for example BG, GB, KN, NK, NT, TN and ZZ) and the final letter is A, B, C or D. Legal basis: Social Security Administration Act 1992 s.182C lets regulations require a person to apply for a number, and regulation 9 of the Social Security (Crediting and Treatment of Contributions, and National Insurance Numbers) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/769) does so. Who may need it (gov.uk list): HMRC, your employer, DWP if you claim benefits, your council if you claim Housing Benefit, Electoral Registration Officers, the Student Loans Company, your pension provider, your ISA provider and authorised investment providers. You do not need one to register with a GP (NHS). Do not share it with anyone who does not need it: it is useful to identity fraudsters.
How do I get a National Insurance Number?
Growing up in the UK: you will normally be sent your number in the 3 months before your 16th birthday if you live in the UK and a parent or guardian claimed Child Benefit for you. If you are 16 to 19 and did not get one, check whether you already have a number; apply online if no Child Benefit claim was made for you (gov.uk). Moving to the UK: you can apply if you live in the UK, have the right to work here, and are working, looking for work or have a job offer. If you have a biometric residence permit or an eVisa you may already have a number, printed on the back of the BRP or shown in your UKVI account. How to apply: online only, proving your identity, usually by uploading a photo of yourself holding your passport and photos of other ID. If you cannot upload photos you may need to attend an appointment or post copies. gov.uk says it can take up to 4 weeks to get your number after you have proved your identity. Application helpline (England, Scotland and Wales): 0800 141 2079. Starting work first: you can start work before your number arrives if you can prove your right to work. You do not need a number to start an application for benefits or a student loan, or to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
I have lost my NINO - how do I find it?
gov.uk says to check a payslip, a P60 or letters about tax, pensions or benefits first. You can also find it in the HMRC app, in your personal tax account, or in Apple or Google Wallet if you saved it there, and the HMRC app or personal tax account can download a letter showing the number. gov.uk's "Check how to find your National Insurance number" tool shows the route for your situation. HMRC cannot give you your number over the phone or on webchat, so be wary of anyone who offers to.
What is the difference between NINO and UTR?
NINO: your lifetime number for National Insurance and tax records. UTR (Unique Taxpayer Reference): a 10-digit number you get when you register for Self Assessment; a limited company gets its own UTR. People taxed only through PAYE usually do not have one. gov.uk says you will usually get your UTR by post around 15 days after you register, longer if you live overseas. You can find it in your personal tax account, the HMRC app, or on returns and HMRC letters. If you need to send a return for 2026/27 and have not sent one before, you must tell HMRC by 5 October 2027: the deadline is 5 October after the end of the tax year the return is for (GOV.UK). Other identifiers: your tax code (one for each job or pension), your employer's PAYE reference (on your P60 and P45), a VAT registration number and a Companies House company number.
NINO and State Pension entitlement - how it works?
Your National Insurance record is kept against your number. The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27; you usually need 35 qualifying years for the full amount and at least 10 to get any. Ways to build a qualifying year: (1) employee earnings of at least £129.00 a week (the Lower Earnings Limit) from one job - between that and the Primary Threshold you pay nothing but the year still counts; (2) self-employed profits of £7,105 or more, where Class 2 is treated as paid; (3) voluntary Class 2 at £3.65 a week if your profits are lower; (4) voluntary Class 3 at £18.40 a week (gov.uk); (5) National Insurance credits, for example while on Universal Credit, JSA, ESA, Carer's Allowance or Maternity Allowance, or while registered for Child Benefit for a child under 12. Check your record at gov.uk/check-state-pension. Deadlines: you can only pay voluntary contributions for the past 6 years, by 5 April each year; for example you have until 5 April 2032 to fill a gap for 2025/26 (gov.uk). The one-off extension that let people fill gaps from April 2006 to April 2018 closed on 5 April 2025.
What Right to Work checks do employers need alongside a NINO?
A National Insurance number is not proof of the right to work. An employer must check that an applicant is allowed to work in the UK before employing them, either online with the applicant's share code or by checking original documents (or through an identity service provider). If the right to work is time-limited, the employer must check again when it is due to expire (gov.uk). Penalties: an employer who employs someone without the right to work and did not carry out a correct check can get a civil penalty of up to £60,000 for each illegal worker (gov.uk), under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 s.15; a correct check gives an excuse from the penalty (s.15(3)). Employing someone knowing, or having reasonable cause to believe, that they have no right to work is a criminal offence under s.21, with up to 5 years in prison and an unlimited fine. Payroll: your employer reports your pay and deductions to HMRC against your National Insurance number, so give it to them as soon as you have it.
I changed my name - what about NINO?
Your number stays the same for life, even if your personal details change (gov.uk). Tell HMRC about a change of name (gov.uk/tell-hmrc-change-of-details); if you send a Self Assessment return your details are updated once you have reported it. Tell your employer, pension providers and bank separately. Your National Insurance record, including qualifying years, stays with the same number.
Do under-16s and students need a National Insurance number?
Under 16: Class 1 National Insurance applies only to earners over 16 (Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 s.6(1)), and numbers are normally sent in the 3 months before the 16th birthday where Child Benefit was claimed. From 16: employee Class 1 is due on earnings above the Primary Threshold (£12,570 a year). Students: you do not need a number to start a student loan application; you will be told how to get one if it is needed for payment (gov.uk). International students who plan to work, and have the right to, apply once they are in the UK.
NINO + immigration status changes (visa renewal, settlement)?
Once allocated, your number stays the same for life (gov.uk), so it does not change when you renew a visa, get settled status or become a British citizen. The right to work is a separate question: if your permission is time-limited, your employer must check your documents again when it is due to expire. If you have a BRP or an eVisa, your number may already appear on the BRP or in your UKVI account.
NINO scams + identity theft - how to protect?
Treat your number as identity information. gov.uk says not to share it with anyone who does not need it, and lists the organisations that may (HMRC, your employer, DWP, your council, Electoral Registration Officers, the Student Loans Company, pension, ISA and authorised investment providers). HMRC cannot give you your number over the phone or on webchat, so a call or message offering to "recover" it is a warning sign. Be cautious about a job advert that asks for your number before any offer. If you think your identity has been misused, contact HMRC and check your personal tax account for employment you do not recognise.
How does NINO interact with Universal Credit + benefits?
To be entitled to a benefit that has to be claimed, you must give your National Insurance number (or information that lets it be found), or apply for one, for yourself and anyone you claim for (Social Security Administration Act 1992 s.1(1A)-(1B)); regulations can disapply this for some benefits or people (s.1(1C)). In practice gov.uk says you do not need a number to start a benefit application, and you will be told how to get one if it is needed for payment. Universal Credit claimants get Class 3 National Insurance credits automatically (gov.uk). Tax credits ended on 5 April 2025 (gov.uk), so there are no new or continuing tax credit claims.
NINO when starting a new job or first UK job?
Give your employer your National Insurance number, and your P45 if you have one. Without a P45, fill in the HMRC Starter Checklist. Statement A: this is your first job since 6 April and you have not received Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Incapacity Benefit since then (the employer uses the current Personal Allowance code). Statement B: since 6 April you have had another job but have no P45, and/or you have received one of those benefits (current Personal Allowance on a week 1/month 1 basis). Statement C: you have another job and/or receive a State, workplace or private pension (code BR). If you do not have a number yet, apply; you can start work before it arrives if you can prove your right to work. Pensions: employers must automatically enrol workers aged between 22 and State Pension age who earn at least £10,000 a year and usually work in the UK (gov.uk). Check your tax code in your personal tax account once you are paid.
What happens to NINO when I die?
When a death is registered, the registrar can help the family use Tell Us Once to report it to more than one government organisation at once (gov.uk). The executor or administrator then deals with the deceased's tax affairs up to the date of death; having the deceased's National Insurance number to hand helps HMRC and DWP find the right records.