National Insurance number for 16 yo

[Sunnysausage]

We’re trying to apply for my DS’s provisional driving licence and they’ve asked for his NI number. I don’t think he ever got a letter with a number in it - if he did it has gone astray. I called the number on the government page and it just sent me round the houses with automated options, ending up with telling us that he needed to check his online Personal Tax account (which he doesn’t have as yet).
I’m primarily confused whether we are asking for a new NI number or to find out an existing one really!
Anyone know about this?
(and yes we can apply for the licence without it but apparently it can take longer, and anyway I want him to start thinking about getting a part time job!)

They usually get a letter automatically when they are about 15 1/2. But it would have be addressed to your child - would he have binned it or shoved it in a drawer somewhere ?

You can apply for a provisional without it and he can get a part time job without it. Some dc have a job from 14.

You are looking to find out an existing one. If you have/had child benefit, they usually send your NINO to that address shortly before his 16th birthday. If you can't get anywhere on the phone try writing to them and outlining the situation.
Gov.uk says if you can't register for a personal tax account for some reason, you can fill in an online form instead:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/national-insurance-numbers

This is the form to fill in:

Sorry, typo, I meant "they usually send his NINO to that address shortly before his 16th birthday"

Argh link to the actual form didn't post it's here: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/fill-online/get-your-national-insurance-number-by-post

If you open him a government gateway account (which is primarily for identification purposes but contains all your tax and NI info) then ring the helpline for NINO they'll be able to send it out via post. It's when they can't identify you that the route is circuitous, but a govt gateway account asks for passport id etc to open it so circumvents the problem.

My son got his a,few months before he turned 16
Your son doesn't b receive DLA or PIP.does he ?because if he does the.reference number is also.your national insurance number .

Also if he ever had a child trust fund number, it's the same one. (not sure when that scheme ended) your NINO is assigned at birth, they just don't remind you of it till you need it.

Two of my kids had to call up to get their NI numbers. Neither received a letter in the post. Two of my others both received their without having to call up.
No idea why they didn't receive them automatically.

As per PP - the NINO is the same as unique ref no for child trust fund. We are abroad so dd never received anything.

Thanks so much all - much more helpful than the so-called helpline
@BiscuitsandPuffin - we used to claim Child Benefit but stopped when the income level thing came in, so I suppose the letter might have gone to the address we were living at that time
@WhenIWasAFieldMyself - yes he had a CTF so that sounds encouraging - now I just have to dig out that info (we are usually an organised family I promise!)
I will go and have another trawl through the paperwork and if that fails, we will set up a Personal Tax Account for him.
@FatGirlSwim - good to know there is no issue with the p-t job - we’ve been waiting until GCSEs are done but now there’s no excuse…
Thanks all

My DD never received an NI number (apparently because we only had child benefit for her up until age 2)

So she had to apply from scratch (she also needed it for her provisional licence).

She applied online and it took about two weeks to arrive.

(the NI number was definitely never sent out - her dad still lives in our old house where the CB claim was made)

@Sunnysausage we only found out about the CTF connection after numerous telephone calls, setting up a gov gateway and having the NINO sent out (twice, first one never got actioned!)
Then it arrived so all good, and months later someone mentioned it was the same as the CTF number and I'm "FFS " 🤣 as that had been sitting staring at me for action for months!

Good luck!

PS mine was also working temporarily in the summer but the non-Nino didn't affect the tax situation 😅

We got it through the post though they got child's surname wrong so had to call to get it fixed, they used my maiden name. 🤔