Since the introduction in April 2012, an employer who is within Real Time Information (RTI) had the ability to request, for up to 100 new employees only, a NINO Verification Request (NVR) via RTI to allow them to either verify a National Insurance Number (NINO), or to obtain a NINO for the Employee when it was not known. They would supply name, date of birth, gender and address.
If HMRC found the individuals NINO information, this was sent back to the employer confirming whether the NINO was correct, instructing an employer to stop using an incorrect NINO pr supplying a correct NINO.
The use of the NVR was not mandatory and the request should only have been submitted when an employer had taken on the individual as a new employee and they required to verify or obtain the employee’s NINO.
NVR not working!
Employers have been reporting to software developers that the NVR service doesn’t appear to be working. For sometime NVR requests have been ignored and no responses being received. The reason for this failure was not overly evident or for how long the service would not be available for.
On 27th June 2025 the HMRC sneaked in an update at top of the page PAYE55030 regarding the withdrawal of the NINO Verification Request service.
HMRC have confirmed that:
Following a review, HMRC has withdrawn the NINO Verification Request service from 3rd February 2025 until further notice. It is not known if or when the service will restart.
Whether the service was being used for fraudulently by rogue players or for cost saving reasons, the service has stopped with no resumption being evident at this stage.
Are National Insurance mandatory to work?
National Insurance Numbers (NINOs} are important in-claiming benefits and pensions as the history of National Insurance Contributions (NICs) are required to assess eligibility.
However, HMRC receive thousands of individuals using certain numbers such as AA111111A or AB123466C. They even experience NINOs being copied from guidance illustrations where these numbers do not belong to the individual employees being reported.
HMRC instruct employers and individuals to never make up National Insurance Numbers (NINOs), leave the field blank if it is not known.
Some employers and systems may be insisting that the NINO is required as mandatory, however, HMRC have no such rule and a NINO is not compulsory to work in the UK as there are circumstances where there isn’t one, what is critical is that employers check the legal Right To Work in the UK.
PAYadvice.UK 13/9/2025