HMRC is encouraging students to use the HMRC App to find out their national insurance number rather than burdening the already busy helplines, which they need to apply for student loan for the 2024/25 academic year. A video has also been produced to aid with the encouragement.

To get started students will need to set up a Government Gateway account and then they have to enter all the information needed to apply for a student loan, including National Insurance (NI) numbers.

By downloading the HMRC app, students can see their NI number and other tax information. 

Suzanne Newton, HMRC’s director general for change delivery, said: ‘Getting your NI number is simple with a tap of HMRC’s app and young people should take advantage of it.’

It’s not just an NI number students need though, an email address, a bank account, a UK passport and details of the course also need to be shared for the loan student application.

Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: ‘Downloading details from the HMRC app will speed up the process of applying for a student loan.

‘Preparing for higher education can be a time-consuming process for sixth form students so we are pleased this will help to reduce the administrative burden on young people.’

The app can also be used to check employment history, salary information, and tax codes, with a digital National Insurance card available to add to online wallets.