National Insurance

A National Insurance (NI) number is a personal number used to record a person's NI contributions and credited contributions because it is needed when claiming social security benefits.

You should apply for a NI number if :

• you have started or are about to start work
• you are self-employed, or
• you want to pay voluntary NI contributions and would benefit from paying them.

For these applications you should telephone 0845 600 0643 between 8.00am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.