How are NI nums issued, out of interest?

Nine_Lives

Just curious, but how are they generated? TOTALLY random, or do certain factors determine your letters/numbers?

To explain why i'm asking....

My number is XX-##-##-##-X. That's everyones format i hear you say. Aye...read on......

My sister who was born 7 years later has an almost identical number to mine....

XX-##-##-##-X.

I've highlighted the differences between mine and her NI numbers - just 2 characters. The final number is 1 higher than mine (so if mine is a 1, hers is a 2), and the final letter is 1 higher than mine (if mine is A, hers is .

I thought they were totally random, which is why i was surprised when i saw hers is almost identical to mine. My brothers on the other hand is totally different.


**** It's just a curiosity question, that's all. I'm not worried before anyone says don't worry. I'm just curious.

xylophone

http://www.payroll-help.com/faq/get-a-national-insurance-number/ - answers to FAQs at bottom might be of interest.

ceecee1

Back in the day (and I cant remember what year..) when somebody decided that child benefit should be allocated to national insurance numbers and not a child benefit number...(I think that was the reason - anyway not important)

All living children were issued with a national insurance number, all children in the same family were given numbers with just the last 2 numbers different. For any children born after the mass allocation they are issued/ allocated when the baby is born.

There is probably a very technical reason but if there is I dont know it !!

System

yup my 2 girls have nearly identical numbers and there's 3 years between them.
As an employee of HMRC I can tell you mixups can occur in siblings records especially when the parents decide it's fun to give their kids names with the same initials

real1314

The final letter doesn't make any difference - if yours is A, there will not be any other set that is the same but ends in B (or in C or D). I *think* the A-B-C-D goes back to a time when the tax system used different year ends for different people, so the A-B-C-D would dictate which quarter of the year applied.

The initial two letters are generally kept the same for a few years, so you'll probably have the same as your peers.

Some people didn't have NI numbers are were converted en-mass, so they won't match the age pattern; others were given them en-mass when children were given numbers rather than 16 yr olds.

Also, I think Northern Ireland had their own system; I think numbers starting with HM may have been allocated there. :cool:

System

real1314 wrote: »

Also, I think Northern Ireland had their own system; I think numbers starting with HM may have been allocated there. :cool:

Nope JL, JM, NM, BT, WP, WK, HM and loads of other different ones over here.

ceh209

I once heard (totally unsubstantiated) that the A/B/C/D at the end was the order you would be called up in in the event of national conscription. I'm glad I'm a D!

Mikeyorks

The final letter was simply a means of splitting the workload in the days when Stamp Cards were sent into the NI offices.

From a discussion with a senior DWP official when I was questioning why the NI number isn't check digit protected. And how they verify the input data into the extraordinarily large NIRS computer system.

No answer was ever forthcoming for the last bit. And judging by the millions of exception items - clearly they simply can't / don't do it!

antonic

It would most probably cost a fortune to change their computer systems so thats why it hasnt been changed.

Mikeyorks wrote: »

The final letter was simply a means of splitting the workload in the days when Stamp Cards were sent into the NI offices.

From a discussion with a senior DWP official when I was questioning why the NI number isn't check digit protected. And how they verify the input data into the extraordinarily large NIRS computer system.

No answer was ever forthcoming for the last bit. And judging by the millions of exception items - clearly they simply can't / don't do it!

withabix

Pam17 wrote: »

As an employee of HMRC I can tell you mixups can occur in siblings records especially when the parents decide it's fun to give their kids names with the same initials

You appear to be confusing the actions of incompetent civil servants with the rights of parents to choose names starting with the same letters, for some reason.

Mikeyorks

antonic wrote: »

It would most probably cost a fortune to change their computer systems so thats why it hasnt been changed.

It's the fortune to change everyone's NINO that's the real issue?

Once upon a time HMRC were going to issue a unique tax reference to everyone and that would sensibly be the NINO. But no one in their right mind would do that whilever it can't be proofed against simple transposition errors.