• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NINO Application

  • Home
  • NINO FAQs
  • Employers
  • HELP
Quick Applications
Start a New Application     NI Replacement Card
Changes to details     New UK Bank Account

NINO

What do the letters at the beginning and at the end of my NI number mean?

By Ni No Application

A National Insurance number (NI number) has three parts – a prefix of two letters, six numbers, and a suffix of a single letter. For example, AB123456C. Your NI number has no personal information about you; it is a randomly allocated reference number.

The prefix is simply two letters that are allocated to each new series of NI number. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently issuing new NI numbers with prefixes starting with P and S, e.g. PL, PM, PN and SG, SH, SJ, etc. Some prefixes are specific to certain parts of the UK, e.g. JY = Jersey, MN = Isle of Man, BT = Northern Ireland. Each series has 999,999 different numbers. New NI numbers are allocated consecutively, e.g. PN000001A, PN000002B, PN000003C, PN000004D, PN000005A, etc.

The single letter suffix can be A, B, C or D. These were important in the early days of National Insurance contributions (NICs), where employers had to purchase NI stamps and stick them on cards for each employee. When the cards were complete, i.e. when they had a whole year’s worth of stamps attached, the employer had to send them to what was then called the Department for Social Security (now the DWP). They were not all sent in at the same time, but were submitted quarterly, with the quarterly submission dates defined by each suffix letter. For example, the card for NI numbers ending in A covered the three months to February and would be exchanged for a new card at the beginning of March. Similarly, cards for NI numbers ending in B would be exchanged in June, C in September and D in December. This arrangement allowed the workload involved in issuing new cards to be spread throughout the year. Today, the letters have no such relevance. Instead, the employer pays NICs to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) monthly or quarterly, and sends the details on a P14 Summary for each employee to the tax office after the end of each tax year.

There are some spurious explanations going round about the allocation of suffix letters, e.g. that the NI number allocated to your first child ends in A, to the second child B, and so on. Although the idea has some basis in history, it is not correct. For confirmation of the explanation given above, see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/nimmanual/NIM39110.htm.

A correspondent queried why the NI numbers allocated to her two children, born several years apart, were consecutive, e.g. PN000001A and PN000001B (not their real numbers). The DWP explains that this situation arises as the result of a bulk allocation of NI numbers between 1989 and 1993, following a move to the national allocation of NI number prefixes. In 1992, every child whose parents were in receipt of Child Benefit was issued with a Child Reference Number (CRN). A CRN is the same as an NI number but is used before the child leaves school. If there was more than one child in a family at the time, they were issued with consecutive numbers. If you were in receipt of Child Benefit for more than one child in 1992, you might like to check if they also have consecutive NI numbers.

Changes to your personal details

By Ni No Application

Start Process

  • Ensure you complete all the required areas and enter the details correctly
  • You must be able to provide a U.K residential address
  • You must be over the age of 16
  • You must be truthful in your answers

Change of Details

Step 1 of 6

0%
  • Contact Information
  • Hidden
  • Personal Details
Save and Continue Later
  • Questionnaire
  • For example, married, civil partnership, deed poll or other reason.
  • Personal Details
Save and Continue Later
  • Current Address in the UK
  • 7U2O-7MMO-XFOP-62KU
    AmarNasir356280
    1
    0
    Select an address:
  • Previous Address in the UK
  • 7U2O-7MMO-XFOP-62KU
    AmarNasir356280
    1
    0
    Select an address:
Save and Continue Later
  • Application Select
  • National Insurance Card
Save and Continue Later
  • Review Application
    Name:{Name:6.3} {Name:6.4} {Name:6.6}
    Date of Birth:{Date of Birth:7}
    Sex:{Sex:5}
    Marital Status:{Marital Status:8}
    Email:{Email:10}
    Telephone:{Telephone:11}
    Address:{Address:94.1}, {Address:94.2}{Address:94.3}, {Address:94.4}, {Address:94.5}
    View our Terms of Service
Save and Continue Later
  • £ 0.00
    Total price is inclusive of V.A.T
  • American Express
    Discover
    MasterCard
    Visa
    JCB
    Maestro
    Supported Credit Cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, JCB, Maestro
     
    By accepting the Terms and Conditions you are also accepting our Privacy Policy so please read it to understand how we use and safeguard your personal data. In the use of our website or any of the services outlined on the site, you are agreeing to the measures explained in this Policy.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Save and Continue Later

Footer

Copyright © 2019 · NINO Application · All rights reserved.
Terms of Service | Refund Policy | Privacy Policy | Privacy Tools

Copyright © 2025 · Nino on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Help

If you are experiencing difficulties with your application please fill in the form below with your contact details and one of our advisors will contact you as soon as possible.