The quickest way to find your National Insurance number is to look at a payslip, a P60 or a letter about tax, pensions or benefits, or to sign in to the HMRC app or your personal tax account, where you can also download a letter showing it. HMRC will not tell you your number over the phone or on webchat. If you can’t find it any other way, HMRC posts it to you, which can take up to 10 working days.
If you have never had a number, you apply online instead (see if you’ve never had a National Insurance number below). For what National Insurance is and what you pay, see the National Insurance hub.
Where to find your National Insurance number
| Where | What to know |
|---|---|
| Payslip | Your number is on tax-related documents like your payslip |
| P60 | Also a tax-related document that shows your number |
| Letters about tax, pensions or benefits | Any of these may show your number |
| HMRC app | Available if you live in the UK; you can view the number and save it to your Apple or Google Wallet |
| Personal tax account | Online at GOV.UK, if you already have one or set one up |
| Apple or Google Wallet | Only if you’ve saved it there (you can from the HMRC app or your personal tax account) |
| Old National Insurance card | Cards were phased out from 2010 and none were issued after October 2011, but the number on an old card is still yours, because a number stays the same for life |
If you hold a biometric residence permit (BRP) or an eVisa, you may already have a number: it can be on the back of your BRP, or you can see it by signing in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to view your eVisa.
Find it online: HMRC app or personal tax account
Both services show your number and let you download a letter showing your National Insurance number, which you can save or print to give an employer.
- HMRC app (iOS and Android): sign in with the details you use for HMRC online services. If you don’t have sign-in details, you can create them in the app. From the app you can also save your number to your Apple or Google Wallet.
- Personal tax account (gov.uk/personal-tax-account): you need to sign in, and you can create sign-in details if you don’t have them. You’ll be told if you need to prove your identity, which normally involves photo ID such as a passport or driving licence.
HMRC’s own check how to find your National Insurance number tool asks a few questions about your situation and shows you the best route.
Ask HMRC to post it to you
If you can’t find your number on any of your documents or by using the online services, you can ask HMRC to send it by post:
- By post: fill in form CA5403 (Get your National Insurance number by post), sign the declaration, include any documents to confirm your identity, and post it to HMRC.
- By phone: call the National Insurance helpline on 0300 200 3500 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, closed bank holidays) and answer some questions. HMRC will not tell you your number over the phone. It posts it to you instead.
Either way, the letter can take up to 10 working days to arrive.
What a National Insurance number looks like
A National Insurance number is made up of 2 letters, 6 numbers and a final letter, for example QQ123456B (often written with spaces, as QQ 12 34 56 B). The final letter is always A, B, C or D. QQ123456B is an example only, not a real number.
Your number remains the same for life. If your name or other details change, you don’t need a new one. It exists so that your National Insurance contributions and tax are recorded against your name only, which is how your National Insurance record and State Pension entitlement are built up.
If you’ve never had a National Insurance number
If you grew up in the UK: you’ll normally be sent your number in the 3 months before your 16th birthday, if you live in the UK and a parent or guardian filled in a Child Benefit claim form for you. If you’re aged 16 to 19 and didn’t get one, first check whether you already have one; if no Child Benefit claim was made for you, apply online.
If you moved to the UK: you may already have a number if you’ve worked or claimed benefits here before. If not, you can apply for one if you:
- live in the UK
- have the right to work in the UK
- are working, looking for work or have an offer to start work
You can only apply once you are in the UK.
How to apply: you apply online and prove your identity as part of the application. If you have a passport (from any country) or a national identity card from an EU country, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, have it ready; if you can, you’ll need to upload a photo of yourself holding your passport. You can still apply without any of these documents, but you may need to attend an appointment in person to prove your identity. If you can’t upload photos, your application will take longer and you may need to attend an appointment or post photocopies of your documents. It can take up to 4 weeks to get your number after you’ve proved your identity.
If you applied more than 4 weeks ago, have moved house or your details have changed since you applied, call the application helpline:
| Helpline | Number | Opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland and Wales | 0800 141 2079 | Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm |
| Northern Ireland | 0800 587 0024 | Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm |
Have your application reference number ready; it’s at the top of the confirmation email you got when you applied.
You don’t need a National Insurance number to start an application for benefits or a student loan, or to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. If you need one for a benefit or student loan to be paid, you’ll be contacted and told how to get one.
Starting a job without your number
You can start work before you receive your National Insurance number if you can prove you have the right to work in the UK. Every employee must give their number to their employer for the payroll records, so pass it on as soon as you have it. Until then your employer keeps a record of your details, and the payroll information it sends to HMRC may let HMRC trace your number automatically if you already have one.
Your new employer uses your P45 to work out how much tax to take from your pay, or the starter checklist if you don’t have a P45. If your tax looks wrong, see why you might be paying emergency tax.
Keep your number safe
To prevent identity fraud, don’t share your National Insurance number with anyone who doesn’t need it. It is not proof of identity or of your right to work, but stolen numbers are sold on and used for illegal working and fraudulent benefit claims.
Organisations that may genuinely need it include:
- your employer, and HMRC
- the Department for Work and Pensions (including Jobcentre Plus and the Pension, Disability and Carers Service), if you claim state benefits
- your local council, if you claim Housing Benefit
- Electoral Registration Officers, to check your identity when you register to vote
- the Student Loans Company, if you apply for a student loan
- your pension provider, if you have a personal or stakeholder pension
- your ISA provider, if you open an ISA, and authorised firms that help you buy and sell investments
- websites or apps you sell goods or services through, and cryptoasset services, if they’re required to report to HMRC
If you get a phone call, email or text about your National Insurance number that you think is a scam, report it to HMRC.
Related guides
- National Insurance hub: rates, classes and how contributions work
- National Insurance credits: filling gaps in your record without paying
- National Insurance qualifying years calculator: how many years count towards your State Pension
- Check your State Pension forecast: what your record means for your State Pension
- Take-home pay calculator: your pay after tax and National Insurance