National Insurance Cards

As part of the Spending Challenge, the Chancellor announced that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) would stop issuing National Insurance numbers on plastic cards. Replacing the cards with a letter will result in significant savings for the Government.

Since October 2010, HMRC no longer issues replacement National Insurance number cards. Anyone who now asks for a reminder of their National Insurance number will get a notification letter instead. From July HMRC stopped issuing plastic National Insurance number cards to adults (mostly migrant workers). Anyone who needs a National Insurance number now receives their number on a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions. Jobcentre Plus is responsible for issuing notification letters to adults. In October HMRC will stop issuing plastic National Insurance number cards to young people aged 15 years 9 months.

Millions of people will still have a National Insurance number card. As the cards are phased out, there will be growing numbers of people who will have a letter instead. You need to bear this in mind if you refer to the card on your website, or in your documents or guidance for staff and customers.

The HMRC website is being updated as National Insurance number cards are withdrawn. Please use this information to update your own website, documents or guidance. You can also direct staff or customers to www.hmrc.gov.uk if they want any more information.

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