Why does Penfold need my employees’ National Insurance Numbers?
Enrolling employees when they join Penfold
Identifying which account contributions should be allocated to
Submitting and allocating contributions, including any tax relief
What happens if I submit an invalid National Insurance Number?
National Insurance Numbers (NINOs) follow a strict format—for example, two letters, six numbers, and a final letter (such as AB123456C). Our system automatically validates NINOs when you submit either an enrolment file or a contribution file.
If any NINOs are found to be invalid, you will receive a notification prompting you to review and update them. This notification will either appear in the Penfold Platform when you upload the file, or, if the file goes to assisted processing, our team will contact you by email so you can correct the information before processing continues
What if there is a discrepancy between the National Insurance Number in my payroll system and the one Penfold has?
In case of a discrepancy between the National Insurance Number (NINO) in your payroll system and the one Penfold has on record, follow these steps:
If the NINO in your payroll system is correct, let us know, and we'll update our records accordingly
If the NINO Penfold holds is correct, you'll need to update your payroll records
Mismatched NINOs can lead to errors when processing contribution files. Our system will flag these discrepancies and provide guidance to help you upload the contributions successfully. If not resolved, mismatched NINOs can result in delays in allocating employee pension contributions.
What if employees don’t have a NINO?
If your employee does not yet have a National Insurance Number (NINO), please let us know so that we can assign them a temporary NINO. Please do not create or assign a temporary NINO yourself.
You can:
Upload your enrolment file without a NINO and we will assign a temporary NINO to the employee, or
Contact our Customer Support team before making any uploads by emailing autoenrolment@getpenfold.com or by getting in touch with your Penfold Account Manager.
While your employee has a temporary NINO recorded in our system, tax relief cannot be claimed on any pension contributions made into their account.
Once your employee receives their permanent NINO, you must provide it to Penfold within six weeks of receiving it. You can send this information to autoenrolment@getpenfold.com. Penfold must be informed of the permanent NINO before further contributions are processed. This allows us to update our records and claim tax relief on future pension contributions.
Please note that in order for tax relief to be claimed, the employee must also have a valid UK residential address recorded on their account.