Need national insurance number if I live in UK but work abroad?

Poq

My company is registered in Sweden (I work for myself, nothing major but it pays the bills).

I went to uni here in London for 3 years, and since then I have been living here for about 2 years.

(Sometimes I fly out to Sweden every quarter, and sometimes I don't go for 6 months.)


I have never worked in the UK. But I rent an apartment here with a few friends (they all work here).


Do I need a National Insurance number?

I don't want to claim benefits or anything like that.

Thomas_Hardy

Are you not from the UK originally?

Do you ever intend to have children?

Poq

Thanks for your reply

Thomas_Hardy wrote: »

Are you not from the UK originally?

Do you ever intend to have children?

Nope, I'm Swedish.

Kids aren't in my plans yet. So that's the only case where I'd need it?



I'm just hoping I'm not doing anything illegal by not having it? I pay council tax. Though it's hard to say whether I'd consider myself ordinarily resident here or in Sweden. I'm here for more of the year, but it's kinda holiday-like since my business is abroad, and my clients in the UK pay me to Sweden.

(I earn my money abroad and stuff, pay taxes there. Reason why I didn't get the number back when in uni is that I don't want to be paying taxes twice.)

Thomas_Hardy

If you are only travelling to Sweden for a few weeks each year, you are ordinarily resident here.

Poq

Thomas_Hardy wrote: »

If you are only travelling to Sweden for a few weeks each year, you are ordinarily resident here.

Ah, alright thanks.

So what does that mean?

My accountant in Sweden doesn't know much about UK.

Poq

So all in all, is it OK that I don't have a National Insurance number?

What if I wanted to get a job here?

agrinnall

You'd definitely need a NINO if you want to work here, and I don't see why you shouldn't get one now anyway - I can't see what the downside to having the number would be.

Whether you currently actually NEED one or not I'm not sure. It's not an area I know much about, but as someone who is ordinarily resident in the UK there is at least a possibility that your earning could be considered for taxation here, although you might well have nothing to pay if there is a double taxation agreement in place with Sweden. If your Swedish accountant doesn't understand UK tax law then perhaps that should be a hint to you to see a UK accountant to clarify the situation.

Poq

agrinnall wrote: »

You'd definitely need a NINO if you want to work here, and I don't see why you shouldn't get one now anyway - I can't see what the downside to having the number would be.

Whether you currently actually NEED one or not I'm not sure. It's not an area I know much about, but as someone who is ordinarily resident in the UK there is at least a possibility that your earning could be considered for taxation here, although you might well have nothing to pay if there is a double taxation agreement in place with Sweden.

Interesting, thanks.

I thought that the EU avoids double taxation?

agrinnall

Poq wrote: »

I thought that the EU avoids double taxation?

It probably does, but as I say, it's not an area I know about and is why you should see a UK accountant to get clarification.

Poq

Thanks, I will try and do that. Any idea how much such a consultation would cost?

Anyway, I'm just hoping I'm not doing anything illegal: by not having a National Insurance number + paying contributions in the UK (apart from council tax)?

agrinnall

Of course, the other issue is that I don't believe you would be able to access the NHS as a UK resident without a NINO (quite rightly given that your are making no contribution to the UK exchequer), so you would be reliant on whatever cover you are entitled to through your Swedish nationality.