National Insurance Number - to pay tax on overseas pension

Marzia_90

Hi all.

My father has to pay tax on his overseas pension. He moved to England in October 2020, became a tax resident in 2021-22. He is retired and does not intend to look for work. Accordingly, he cannot apply online for a national insurance number. The online application can be used only if you are working or looking for work. 

However, to pay tax on his pension he needs to register for self assessment. To do so, he needs a national insurance number. 

I called HMRC, the NiN office and the DWP and no one was able to help me. Does anyone know the steps we need to take to solve this issue?

Many thanks,

Marzia

poppy12345

This is the welfare benefits section, you would be better off to post in the cutting tax part of the forum.

tightauldgit

Marzia_90 said:

Hi all.

My father has to pay tax on his overseas pension. He moved to England in October 2020, became a tax resident in 2021-22. He is retired and does not intend to look for work. Accordingly, he cannot apply online for a national insurance number. The online application can be used only if you are working or looking for work. 

However, to pay tax on his pension he needs to register for self assessment. To do so, he needs a national insurance number. 

I called HMRC, the NiN office and the DWP and no one was able to help me. Does anyone know the steps we need to take to solve this issue?

Many thanks,

Marzia

Perhaps an obvious solution but can you not just say you intend to look for work and get an NI number online? It's not something they are going to enforce.

HillStreetBlues

tightauldgit said:

Perhaps an obvious solution but can you not just say you intend to look for work and get an NI number online? It's not something they are going to enforce.

Rightly or wrongly that's what i would be doing.

born_again

Does he have a TIN from his previous country?

While you mention retired, is he above UK retirement age?

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Marzia_90 said:

Hi all.

My father has to pay tax on his overseas pension. He moved to England in October 2020, became a tax resident in 2021-22. He is retired and does not intend to look for work. Accordingly, he cannot apply online for a national insurance number. The online application can be used only if you are working or looking for work. 

However, to pay tax on his pension he needs to register for self assessment. To do so, he needs a national insurance number. 

I called HMRC, the NiN office and the DWP and no one was able to help me. Does anyone know the steps we need to take to solve this issue?

Many thanks,

Marzia

I think he must be getting confused.

You don't need a NINO to register for Self Assessment.

In fact the print and post registration form specifically covers the situation where someone doesn't have a NINO.

I presume he realises he should be registering for Self Assessment and not self employment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/self-assessment-register-for-self-assessment-and-get-a-tax-return-sa1

sheramber

Does he have a biometric residence permit?

If you have a biometric residence permit (BRP)

If you have a BRP, you might have a National Insurance number already - it will be printed on the back of your BRP if you do

Bigwheels1111

My mum did payroll many years ago.
If people did not have their Ni number to hand they used TN150977M
ie, TN = temporary number, dob 15/09/77, M= Male.
Could work in the short term.

chrisbur

Bigwheels1111 said:

My mum did payroll many years ago.
If people did not have their Ni number to hand they used TN150977M
ie, TN = temporary number, dob 15/09/77, M= Male.
Could work in the short term.

TN numbers like this should no longer be used and are not accepted by HMRC