Who We Are and What We Do
NI Services to Contributor (Contributor Group) was formed in April 2002 as part of the National Insurance Contributions Office (NICO) review which aimed to achieve a more customer facing approach to the delivery of our business. The Contributor Group has over 2000 staff and many diverse business units.
Responsible for collecting and recording self employed (Class 2) and voluntary (class 3) National Insurance Contributions. Self Employment Services also assess customers' legal requirements to self employed rate contributions; award small earnings exception certificates and maintain NI records. They provide information to the Department for Work and Pensions, to support the payment of benefit. In addition, they are responsible for the collection of the Self Employment Late Notification.
Responsible for preventing overpayments of National Insurance Contributions where an individual has more than one source of income. On receipt of a customer's application, they postpone the collection of some contributions until they can calculate the correct amount of National Insurance due. They also deal with refunds of overpaid Class 4 contributions.
Responsible for processing straightforward applications to register as self-employed and for awarding certificates of small earnings exception. They record changes to the National Insurance accounts of self employed people.
Responsible for the administration of certain legislation, governing people living and / or working abroad. The team provides advice and documentation for individuals, employers and agents about the legal obligation to pay UK National Insurance Contributions. They also collect and allocate contributions from people who are abroad and share information with our partners in Europe and the rest of the world.
Provides employment histories in certain compensation cases, NI Contribution and credit details to the Home Office when foreign nationals apply for UK citizenship and mortality status information to the Health and Safety Executive.
Create National Insurance records for people who have not previously been registered and now require a National Insurance Number.
Examines and corrects NI accounts where two or more people are using the same account, or where one person has two accounts. This team also amends and updates customers' personal details and monitors the accuracy of National Insurance accounts. This area also provides copies of clerical NI account records and other contribution information from those records to the Department for Work and Pensions to allow them to pay benefits.
Responsible for arranging and authorising the refund of National Insurance Contributions which have been paid by mistake or in excess of the annual maximum limits.
Deal with a variety of different issues relating to payment of National Insurance contributions. These include dealing with customers’ accounts where there is a gap in their National Insurance record, investigating customers' entitlement to pay reduced rate contributions (married women or widows) and investigating entitlement to Home Responsibilities Protection.
NI Services to Contributor also has a small team dealing with individual customer enquiries about personal and contracted out pensions.
Home Responsibilities Protection
Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) is a special arrangement which helps someone to protect their basic Retirement Pension and also their spouse's entitlement to bereavement benefits. Provided certain qualifying conditions are satisfied, HRP is given for complete tax years and works by reducing the number of qualifying years needed for a basic pension, and in certain circumstances entitlement to additional state pension. HRP cannot reduce this number to less than 20 years.
Please contact any of our areas, by writing to
Inland Revenue
National Insurance
Contributions
Office
NI Services to
Contributor
Benton Park View
Newcastle Upon
Tyne
NE98 1ZZ
(Please be sure to quote your National Insurance Number).
You can also contact the following helplines
National Insurance:
International
Services Helpline
Phones are open
(UK local time),
Monday to Friday,
8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m.
From the UK
Telephone: 0845
915 4811
Fax: 0845 915
7800
From Outside
the UK dial the
international
code, then:
Telephone: 44
191 225 4811
Fax: 44 191 225
7800
Visit the International Services pages
to find out what services they offer and order information online.
National Insurance:
Registrations
Helpline
If you would like
information about
registering for
a National Insurance
Number then please
call the number
below. Open Monday
to Friday 8:30am
to 4:30pm
Telephone: 0845
91 57006 or
0845 91 55670
National Insurance:
Self Employed
Helpline
If you are self
employed and would
like some help
with Class 2 NICs.
Open Monday to
Friday 8:00am
to 5:00pm
Telephone: 0845
91 54655
Newly Self Employed Helpline
Call for advice on tax and National Insurance Helpline: 08459 15
45 15 Open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week To speak to someone
in Welsh, call 08457 660 830
