Forum

National Insurance Number
 

Had my first request for NI number for one one my UK accounts last night.
Anyone else had this?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Was this a new account?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

No, it was an aged account, 100+ feedback. Logged in to mark an item as shipped and there was a red banner which directed me to add NI number.
It is not a stealth account.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

I've not had it yet for any of my accounts. I guess this is the start of compiling the info for HMRC for next years submission.

Did you add the NI number?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Yes I did, as there was a deadline in which to add it, or face limitations on the account.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Out of interest how long was the deadline?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

I think it was a month, or just less, I'm sorry I did not take more notice, or in fact, take a screenshot.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

That's fine, just wondered. Thanks

Re: National Insurance Number
 

May I ask was there any verification process, payment holds etc ?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

No nothing at all, account fully verified ages ago, went to log in, as they had logged me out, and was asked to add the NI number, and re-verify bank account, which has had over 100 withdrawals over time.
Account has no holds, and is running as it should.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Thanks for the info, I hope they don’t ask to re-verify bank accounts by taking the deposit back as I am using saving account and as far as I know this doesn’t work on this type of bank accounts anymore :(

Re: National Insurance Number
 

did the red banner disappear immediately? did you re-verify by micros?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

No red banner is still there, with payments on hold until micro deposits have been verified, I hope!
Still waiting for them.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

is the red banner for NIN number or micro deposits? it sounds like you entered NIN , then got red banner for deposits and now the banner is probably mentioning deposits only?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

The account has been running for 2 years, fully verified, not stealth, the bank account has remained the same.

Had to fill in NI number
Re-verifiy bank account again

Now the account is back to normal, red banner gone.

Spoke to an agent who told me that this is being rolled out in the Uk for tax purposes.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Was this a private seller account or a sole trader?

I understand ebays hands are tied but a sole trader could rightly take umbrage with them and ask why they cannot supply their UTR.

Anyway, it begins....gonna be some fallout over this for sure.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

They can't because HMRC Have stipulated to each marketplace that they want National Insurance number for each seller that reaches the thresholds stated.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Do we know if they by they i mean ebay have means of verifying NI numbers?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

As I said, I appreciate it's out of ebays hands. Just seems unusual to ask a business for a National Insurance Number. Amazon already ask Sole traders for their UTR, seem the logical piece of data to ask for but it is what it is for now.

I guess HMRC will have to fathom it out for themselves how they use the data they collect and apply it to each seller.

In reality, they will use it to cherry-pick those who don't appear to be paying any tax - that should keep them busy for a a decade or so.

Worth mentioning that Limited Companies shouldn't have this obligation one would think as that's not who HMRC are after.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

ebay will not be able to check you have supplied your own NI number, only that it meets the correct format.

The best the could do is ask for a copy of a document, they certainly wont have access to HMRC databases and wouldn't want to anyway. They'll do the bare minimum that is asked of them.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

I am wondering how are they planning to keep all this information safe… imagine if hackers get their hands on your name, bank account, address, national insurance , Id and etc it is not safe at all to ask people to put so much sensitive information online, this will cause a lot of issues in the future for sure.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

This is a private seller account.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

We really have no idea what it will be used for. Maybe to cross reference tax returns data, maybe to see who should be VAT registered. So many possible things. The list is endless.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

I would HMRC have a robust system with all the data they hold on everything.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

many of these firms just love data - holding on to it, ideas down the road...if info gets hacked or stolen, ppl are screwed regardless

Re: National Insurance Number
 

:lol::lol::lol:

It's HMRC for gods sake, they already have access to NI numbers. This is one of their 'ideas down the road'.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

most likely it will be about VAT as it does not require much work , anyone who matches criteria would be liable for VAT regardless of anything else

Re: National Insurance Number
 

I am wondering how many private sellers are going to fill in a self assessment tax return as a self employed person for selling their personal items such as clothes (which eBay now let you sell them for free) or if you sell a couple of cars in a year. As you know the greater majority of employed and retired people do not do an annual tax return and to have to fill in tax forms for personal property over £1,000 will not happen for a greater majority of these people. Good luck for HMRC to try to enforce this, perhaps the high volume personal sales sellers will be asked for NI numbers only. We will see.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

looking at external resource on this subject its suggested that ebay are doing this purely at HMRC request and they have no means of matching a NI number to a specific person therefore as long as the format is correct then it would be accepted.
might be worth considering

Re: National Insurance Number
 

does it have a high turnover of items or revenue?

just trying to ascertain why you have been targeted

Re: National Insurance Number
 

What about when ebay provide that info to HMRC?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

I would guess they then rely on HMRC to advise them the details don't match and then the ebay account is then at risk of being suspended - saying that the speed HMRC work the process could take years

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Spot on

The format much match the check digits in place

They have no access to the NI database itself and I highly doubt HMRC are going to be telling ebay names don't match. HMRC cares taxes are being paid that's really its

Its a law ebay is complying with not a 2 way information sharing venture

This doesn't suit ebay they will loose revenue because of its implication

Re: National Insurance Number
 

They have been given new a.i. software no doubt and these are just additional parameters / data that they need to input to cross reference and automatically catch tax evaders. Manually doing it must be an absolute nightmare and a very slow tedious process. It will be an algorithm that catches people now. If it's an algorithm then people will still find a way around it.

Re: National Insurance Number
 

maybe our friends in the USA can advise given they went through the same process having to summit their Social security number?
Maybe this was more just for ID purposes than recouping tax

Re: National Insurance Number
 

what's your questions exactly about SS?

Re: National Insurance Number
 

whether any communication came from SS directly to ebay sellers from financial details passed on by Ebay

Re: National Insurance Number
 

i have National Insurance Number

Re: National Insurance Number
 

Welcome to the forum OP - all the best as you master stealth :thumb:

Re: National Insurance Number
 

collecting information for HMRC, this already happened to me in one of my clients' accounts