If you need to make a claim for Compensation, for example industrial injury, road traffic accidents, medical negligence or hardship (such as redundancy, Widows Pension or appropriate charitable organisation) and you require employment history schedules as evidence in support of your claim you can either apply for this information yourself or choose to do this via your solicitor or agent.
This information is available by contacting the Record Retrieval Service (formerly known as Special Section A).
The team can be contacted at:
HM Revenue & Customs
National Insurance Contributions & Employer Office
Record Retrieval Service
Room BP8003
Tynemouth House
Benton Park View
Longbenton
NE98 1ZZ
Telephone contact number:
03000 552 292
You will need to make your request for an employment history in writing giving:
If you are able to supply details relating to past or current employers please complete the Claimants Recollection of employers (PDF, 32K) as this may help to provide a quicker service, especially if confirmation is required for a shorter specified period of tax years.
Please note that employment history records are only available for each tax year from 1961-62 up to and including the last full tax year. For years 1948-49 to April 1961 HMRC only hold National Insurance details.
Because of high demand, HMRC is unable to acknowledge every request received for employment histories. HMRC aims to deal with your request within 65 working days. If after 65 working days you have still not received confirmation of your employment history, please contact the Records Retrieval Service at the above points of contact.
If you have contacted the Records Retrieval Service and no longer need confirmation of your employment history, please contact the service as soon as possible to prevent unnecessary information being provided.
Please follow the steps as outlined above but also complete Employment history - Appendix 1 (PDF 182K). This form should only be completed in full by the person legally entitled to apply for the Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration as this may not necessarily be the next-of-kin.
Failure to include any of the above items of information with any requests may result in the correspondence being returned to you or a delay in response time.
HMRC target response times begin when they are satisfied that all of the relevant personal and legal information has been supplied in order to process your request.
If you are a solicitor, relevant third party or coroner and need any employer's business addresses please contact:
Companies House
Head Office
Crown Way
Maindy
Cardiff
CF14 3UZ
Contact Centre: 0303 1234 500 (08:30 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, except national holidays).
For more information visit www.companieshouse.gov.uk
Email address for enquiries: enquiries@companies-house.gov.uk
HMRC target response time begins when they are satisfied that all of the relevant personal and legal information has been supplied in order to process your request.
You can get a free print out of your National Insurance record from the 1975-76 tax year (if applicable) by writing to the Subject Access Requests (SARS) Team and including all of your personal details and signature. The print out includes:
HM Revenue & Customs
National Insurance Contributions & Employer Office
SARS Team
Room BP8003
Benton Park View
Longbenton
NE98 1ZZ
For 'Disclosure of information' upon receipt of a High Court Order instructing HMRC to release information under Inherent Jurisdiction, contact the Records Retrieval Service (details are at the top of this page).
If you live in the UK and require a letter confirming National Insurance payments for UK citizenship, passport or residency purposes, HMRC can supply confirmation of your National Insurance contributions record which includes the amount and type of benefits claimed. This information is supplied in an agreed format between HMRC and the UK Border Agency (formerly Home Office) which does not contain monetary amounts of National Insurance paid.
If you require any of the above information please write to the following address:
HM Revenue & Customs
National Insurance Contributions & Employer Office
Records Retrieval Service
BP8003 Tynemouth House
Benton Park View
Longbenton
NE98 1ZZ
Important note: HMRC are unable to process any telephone requests - all requests must be in writing to the Records Retrieval Service at the above address.
If you require confirmation of your National Insurance history for more than the last 14 tax years, HMRC will require a copy of the original letter to you by the UK Border Agency asking you to supply this information.
If you live outside of the UK and require National Insurance information from time spent working in the UK, please contact:
HM Revenue & Customs
National Insurance Contributions & Employer Office
International Caseworker
Room BP1301
Benton Park View
Longbenton
NE98 1ZZ
If you require a full statement of your National Insurance record in monetary values, you can obtain this by writing to:
HM Revenue & Customs
National Insurance Contributions & Employer Office
Individuals Caseworker
Room BP2202
Benton Park View
Longbenton
NE98 1ZZ
For victims of violent crime SSA also provides National Insurance related information for both the Criminal Injuries Compensation Agency (Glasgow) which covers England, Scotland and Wales and for Compensation Services (Belfast) for Northern Ireland.
If you are considering making a claim, please contact the relevant organisation listed below, as HMRC do not accept requests of this nature from members of the public or any other third party.
The contact information for each organisation is available from the following links:
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (Glasgow) (Opens new window)
