Check a National Insurance number using Basic PAYE Tools
Updated 9 June 2021
© Crown copyright 2021
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-paye-tools-national-insurance-number-verification-requests-only/basic-paye-tools-with-other-software-check-a-national-insurance-number
You can use this guide from 6th April 2021.
Introduction
This is the Basic Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Tools (BPT) guide for making a National Insurance number Verification Request (NVR) and can be used by employers whose commercial payroll software does not have this facility.
HMRC systems will automatically check your employees’ National Insurance numbers on your first Full Payment Submission (FPS), or when you report starting details for a new employee.
If you want to find or check an employee’s National Insurance number, you can do so by sending a NVR.
You cannot send a NVR until 2 weeks after sending your first FPS.
It will not generate a new National Insurance number. If your employee has never had a National Insurance number please ask them to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Contact Centre on telephone: 0345 600 0643.
Important:
- the NVR should only be submitted when you’ve taken on a new employee and you need to verify or obtain that employee’s National Insurance number
- you can only submit a NVR 2 weeks after you have sent your first FPS using your payroll software
Getting started
To use the BPT to send a NVR you must have:
- downloaded and installed the software
- set up the employer
- set up the employees for whom you’ll send a NVR
Read the First time users: download and install BPT guidance to find out how to:
- set up and install the software
- set up the employer
- set up the employees
Step 1: select the correct employer
If you have added more than one employer to the BPT, you’ll need to select the correct employer.
From the ‘home screen’, select the correct employer from the top left of your screen.
In the example below, ‘Andy Mann’ is selected.
Image showing home screen with ‘Andy Mann’ selected.
This will take you to the ‘Employer details’ screen as shown.
Image showing employer details screen
If you are using BPT just to verify a National Insurance number but use other software to produce your payroll, please select for example the current tax year 2021 to 2022 and go to Step 2: select the correct employee.
If however, you’re using BPT as your payroll tool in April each year, you’ll have to formally activate the new tax year. To do this follow the steps below:
From the Employer Details screen select the tax year 2021 to 2022 from the toolbar at the top of the screen as below:
Image showing select the tax year screen.
The following screen will appear. It is a reminder screen to check that you’ve completed all the end of year tasks for the year you’re leaving. Even if these tasks are not complete, you’re able to activate the new year, but you’ll need to go back to the year you’re leaving to make sure it’s complete.
Image showing end of year task reminder screen.
When you select next, the following screen will appear but the year shown will be for activating 2021 to 2022:
Image showing activate tax year screen.
Select next to move on to the next tax year.
You’ll still be able to access the previous years but must be aware that any amendments you make in a previous year, once the new year is activated, will not carry forward to 2021 to 2022. You are responsible for updating this data manually into the newly activated year.
At this stage all of the information held on 2020 to 2021 will have ‘migrated’ to the new year. Only active employees will be ‘migrated’ to 2021 to 2022, therefore if you’ve activated 2021 to 2022 but entered a new employee for 2020 to 2021, as all previous information will have been brought forward, another new screen ‘Migrate Employees’ will appear.
This will show the new employee. When next is selected at the bottom of the screen all the information will carry forward.
This situation is not expected to happen often.
Step 2: select the correct employee
You can only create one NVR at a time.
Select the ‘Manage employees’ link from the menu on the left side of the screen.
Image showing link to manage employees screen.
The next screen presents a list of all employees for the employer.
Select the relevant employee from the list.
Image showing select the relevant employee from a list screen.
This takes you to the ‘Employee details’ screen.
Step 3: create the NVR
From the ‘Employee details’ screen, select the ‘NVR’ link from the menu on the left of the screen.
Image showing select the NVR link screen.
Read the information on this page.
Image showing NVR screen.
Select next to continue.
The next screen confirms you’ve created a NVR for this employee. Click next to finish the process.
Image showing NVR confirmation screen.
You’ll then return to the ‘Employee details’ screen.
Step 4: send the NVR
You have now created the NVR ready to send to HMRC.
Remember: you need to wait 2 weeks after sending your first FPS before sending a NVR.
You can create a NVR for other employees by repeating steps 1 and 2. When you’ve finished creating the NVR you should send the submission to HMRC.
Select the employer name in ‘Navigation’ as shown.
Image showing employer name in the left navigation screen.
This will take you to the ‘Employer details’ screen.
Select the ‘View outstanding submissions’ link.
Image showing the view outstanding submissions screen.
Here you can see there is one outstanding submission which is the NVR.
Select the ‘Send all outstanding submissions’ link from the menu on the left. Read the information on the next screen and click ‘next’.
Image showing the send all outstanding submissions screen.
The next screen to appear is an information screen. Read it carefully then select next to take you to the entry for the Government Gateway.
Image showing screen containing information about submitting online data to HMRC.
Enter your Government Gateway ‘User ID’ and ‘password’ in the fields below for online submission and then select ‘next’.
Image showing Government Gateway User ID and password screen.
You should then receive a submission status on screen.
Image showing status of your submission screen.
Finally you’ll receive a confirmation of your submission screen, showing a unique reference number.
Image showing submission confirmation and unique reference number screen.