National Insurance Number.

[yellowseahorse]

You don't really need your NI card at all, but you do need to know your NI number.

At my last job I needed to show my card at interview.

[overthehill]

At my last job I needed to show my card at interview.

Was it your first job? Or perhaps a job targeted at young people ... or one that might attract foreign workers? It isn't standard practice to ask to see someone's NI card at interview, though it may be used by some employers (wrongly, as it is not a valid form of ID) to try and establish that you are old enough or legally entitled to work in the UK. You will not always be asked for it in future. The point is that if you can prove you have an NI number by any other means, e.g. old payslips, there would be no need to worry about the loss of a card.

[G]

I got asked that once, and I had to ask them if they were joking, I had an old employers payslip instead.

I never got a card in the first place, however I rang up and asked about it.

[piecesofpie]

At my last job I needed to show my card at interview.

I had to take mine along to my last interviews a lot of interviews for jobs in the NHS require you to take them.

[overthehill]

I had to take mine along to my last interviews a lot of interviews for jobs in the NHS require you to take them.

They cannot "require" you to take your NI card, though they might ask you to. It is supplied simply as a reminder of your National Insurance number. (See HM Revenue & Customs site) As long as you know your NI number, there is absolutely no need to keep your card. Our NHS trust actually decided that requesting people's NI number pre job offer was infringing on Data Protection as, except for the successful candidate, it was non-essential information and not relevant to the job application. And, as the card (as far as I remember) doesn't identify the holder, it cannot serve as proof of the right to work in the UK or proof of ID. You could not be refused an interview on the basis of having lost your NI card.

[lyric]

I found my card at last!

[RubberSkin]

Hurrah !

[G]

[lyric]

Thanks for the advice

[Loved Up Blonde]

Sorry for bombarding your thread lyric! But, im just curious, what happens if you've lost it twice? what happens then? Because i never recieved a card, and i can remember when i was 16, my mum having to ring up to get my number sent to me on a paper...so is that classed as me having my 2nd number? Again, im sorry, im just curious

[overthehill]

Sorry for bombarding your thread lyric! But, im just curious, what happens if you've lost it twice? what happens then? Because i never recieved a card, and i can remember when i was 16, my mum having to ring up to get my number sent to me on a paper...so is that classed as me having my 2nd number? Again, im sorry, im just curious

See my earlier post. You don't actually need your card. If you can remember your NI number (ideal) or you have it written down somewhere, there is no need to keep your NI card. It is only supplied as a reminder of your number and has no other bona fide purpose.

[L1ttleOne]

They cannot "require" you to take your NI card, though they might ask you to. It is supplied simply as a reminder of your National Insurance number. (See HM Revenue & Customs site) As long as you know your NI number, there is absolutely no need to keep your card. Our NHS trust actually decided that requesting people's NI number pre job offer was infringing on Data Protection as, except for the successful candidate, it was non-essential information and not relevant to the job application. And, as the card (as far as I remember) doesn't identify the holder, it cannot serve as proof of the right to work in the UK or proof of ID. You could not be refused an interview on the basis of having lost your NI card.

Thank you overthehill for all your great advice on this thread. It's an important reminder to us all that we should keep these numbers/information safe as we never know when we will need it.

I found my card at last!

Congrats on finding your card at last! Keep it safe.