The first piece of British bureaucracy that sticks to you is a two-letter, six-digit, one-letter code. The official sample is QQ123456B. It follows you for life, ties your pay, tax and pension record together, and you will quote it more often than your own phone number.
Here is how to get your National Insurance number without paying anyone and without panicking over the timing.
What is a National Insurance number?
A National Insurance number (NI number, sometimes NINO) is a personal reference that identifies you in the UK's tax and social security system. Your employer uses it to report your pay and deductions. HMRC uses it to match your contributions to your record. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses it for your future State Pension and for any benefit claim.
Nothing in the official guidance says there is a fee. The number is issued once, whatever happens to your name or address.
Note that the NI number is not a tax number in the continental sense. If you become self-employed, HMRC will also give you a separate ten-digit Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR).
Who can apply for a National Insurance number?
GOV.UK sets the conditions clearly: you must be in the UK, you must have the right to work, and you must be working, looking for work or have a job offer. For a European arriving after Brexit, that means you need a visa or an EU Settlement Scheme status first; see UK visas for EU citizens after Brexit. Irish citizens can apply with their passport or ID card, thanks to the Common Travel Area.
A tip many people miss: you may already have a number. If you hold a biometric residence permit, look at the back. If you applied for a visa that gave you a number, it may appear in your UKVI account. British citizens returning to the UK usually have a number issued in their teens, so they should find it rather than request a new one.
How do you apply for a National Insurance number?
The route is online and does not need an appointment in most cases.
- Start on GOV.UK. Use the "Apply for a National Insurance number" service. You answer questions about yourself and your right to work.
- Receive a confirmation email with a reference number and any identity checks you must do.
- Prove your identity. You photograph your passport, or an ID card from an EU country, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, with a phone, tablet or camera, and take a photo of yourself. If this does not work for you, the service can invite you to an appointment or ask you to send photocopies.
- Wait for the letter. The number usually arrives within four weeks of your identity being verified. If it takes longer, call the helpline with your reference number, which is at the top of your confirmation email.
The page itself is free. If you are asked for money by a website that is not gov.uk, close it.
Unsure if you are ready to apply, or which document to photograph? Moovy can check your situation against the GOV.UK conditions, explain each step in plain English and remind you what to say when your employer asks for the number. Moovy cannot submit your application or see your Home Office record, so use the official service for that.
Can you work in the UK without a National Insurance number?
Yes. This is the question that causes the most unnecessary stress. You can start a job as soon as you can prove your right to work, for example with a share code from your eVisa, and your employer can put you on the payroll while the number is on its way. If your employer asks you to wait for the number before you start, tell them what the official guidance says and show them the page.
Give your number to your employer as soon as it arrives. In the meantime, your employer may use a temporary reference, and your payslips should show a code that you can correct later. If a pay slip shows an emergency tax code, you can fix it through your HMRC account once the number is linked.
Who should you give your NI number to?
Only those who need it. GOV.UK suggests HMRC, your employer, the DWP if you claim benefits, your local council if you ask for housing support, your pension provider and your ISA provider. You do not need it for a bank account, a phone contract or a landlord. It is also not needed for the start of an application for benefits, student finance or the EU Settlement Scheme, where the authority will contact you if it needs it.
Treat the number like a card PIN: do not send photos of the letter in messaging groups, and be suspicious of any call or email that says your number has been "suspended". Government bodies do not suspend NI numbers, and scam calls often use that story. If you receive one, hang up and use the official numbers on gov.uk.
What if the number does not arrive?
Most applications go smoothly, but delays happen. If four weeks pass after your identity check, use the helpline on GOV.UK with the reference number from your confirmation email. Have it ready: without it, the adviser cannot find your case. If the identity check itself fails, the service will usually tell you how to retry or invite you to an appointment, so read the email carefully rather than starting a second application.
Do not apply twice. A second application can create a duplicate record, which takes much longer to untangle than the original delay. If you think you already have a number from a past stay, try to find it first: old payslips, a P60 and letters from HMRC all show it, and so does your HMRC personal tax account if you have one.
What does the number do for your pension?
Every year you pay National Insurance contributions or receive credits, you build up a qualifying year towards the new State Pension. GOV.UK says that you generally need ten qualifying years to get any State Pension and, for the full amount, 35 years if your career started after April 2016. Years of contribution in some European countries can help you reach the ten-year minimum, but the amount only reflects your British years. That is why a short UK stay still matters: it can complete a record rather than add to it.
Employees see National Insurance on their payslip as a deduction. For 2026 to 2027 GOV.UK shows employee rates of 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 of annual pay and 2% above that. Self-employed people pay Class 4 contributions on profits instead.
What changes if you live in Scotland?
The number is the same across the UK. The difference is the tax bill. If you live in Scotland, you pay Scottish Income Tax on most earned income, with its own bands; for 2026 to 2027 GOV.UK shows a 0% band up to £12,570, then 19%, 20%, 21%, 42%, 45% and 48%. National Insurance contributions are UK-wide. See living in Scotland vs England for the comparison.
What do you do after you receive your number?
Create or update your online accounts. Link your number to your HMRC personal tax account, where you can see your tax code, your pay and your estimated tax. Check that your employer has it right. Look at your State Pension forecast once a year or so; future entitlement depends on your record. If you move house, update your address with HMRC as well, since a letter that goes astray can mean a missed tax notice.
Finally, if your job is your only income, you usually have no tax return to file because tax is taken from your pay through PAYE. Extra income, such as rent or self-employment over £1,000, brings a Self Assessment return, so check HMRC's guidance on GOV.UK before the end of the tax year.