what's comes first? the job or the NIN?

I was "lucky" to live in a state that didn't have state tax or sales tax on food & stuff like that.  However, we paid for it by having a totally crap governor...prolly the crappiest one in the whole of the US...well, that is, after his brother was appointed as president.

C

What do you mean food and "stuff like that"?  There was tax on prepared foods, children's clothing and shoes, school supplies, toilet roll, furniture...what "stuff" are you referring to?

food stuff

(so sorry - no intention of offending anyone)

How about this?



Tax or no tax?

How about this?



Tax or no tax?

Inclined to say no tax. (but please nobody crucify me if I'm wrong -- this is really living on the edge).

Major categories of exempt sales are food not prepared for immediate consumption

Source:  http://www.state.fl.us/edr/data/salestax/discussi.htm

So, Nibbles, as long as you're not going to immediately consume that?

Also, in the years just before I moved -- FL did have some sort of 'sales tax holiday' on back to school expenses (clothing, supplies, etc) for a week or two in August.

Interesting. So a steaming portion of chilli cheese fries gets sales-taxed but a raw chicken does not. And sloppy joe mix, while convenient, isn't quite convenient enough to qualify as 'immediate'. Thank goodness!

...a steaming portion of chilli cheese fries...

Mmmmmmm - oh I miss the cheese fries from Outback! (and you get a platter of them as big as your head for an appetizer -- piled high!)

I had chilli fries at the pub last night whilst watching The Game! 

i know this has probably been asked before and is probably a bit ignorant on my part as i've lived in the UK over a year now,.. but, do i need to have a job or prospective employer before i get my NIN? or can i apply for my NIN now, with no job in sight, but will be looking soon?

thanks:)
-trish

This is really late but... my husband works for the Job Centre so I have 'inside' information.
Despite what some people who work there might tell you (because they aren't always properly trained anymore) you can get an NIN without having a job and should be acquired prior to working (although not absolutely necessary).
Melinda

This is really late but... my husband works for the Job Centre so I have 'inside' information.
Despite what some people who work there might tell you (because they aren't always properly trained anymore) you can get an NIN without having a job and should be acquired prior to working (although not absolutely necessary).
Melinda

hey, thanks for that!!:)

This is really late but... my husband works for the Job Centre so I have 'inside' information.
Despite what some people who work there might tell you (because they aren't always properly trained anymore) you can get an NIN without having a job and should be acquired prior to working (although not absolutely necessary).
Melinda

Yup -- I tried that...called them several times & trying to get different persons on the phone over a period of time (when they could be bothered to answer the phone, that is - 'cause sometimes no one at all answered after zillions of rings).  To have one before I started working only made sense to me too.  But each person I spoke with flat out refused to schedule me for an appt until I already had a job and could bring in 'a few' paystubs (however many that is?) as proof.  I have two paystubs from my first permanent job now -- so I'm going to call soon & see if that's good enough now?

UPDATE -- After scads of calls to my local Social Security/Job Centre, two temp jobs, and now nearly 5 months of my first permanent job (over here)...I *finally* reached a person on the line there who could be a*sed to schedule me for an NIN interview.  My interview being today at 2 pm!  I've gathered a huge stack of documents -- they sent an unbelievable list of what they want to see with the appointment letter...but the guy on the phone didn't seem to think I needed nearly as much as what's on their list.  Oh well.  I'm taking what I have.  In the process, I discovered that I somehow managed to lose my UK learners drivers licence already!   And both parts - the photo ID and the paper part.  Well I don't remember the last time I drove anywhere - it was months ago (too scary!).  Guess that'll be my next project.

So I'll let y'all know how the NIN interview goes.

Ok, been there, done that.  It took nearly an hour which I suppose only seemed an interminably long time.  They gave me a 'proper' temporary NI number, 'cause they said what my employers (current & two former temp jobs) made up was wrong.   All the paperwork gets sent to Glasgow they said, and sometime within the next THREE months, I'll get my permanent NI number.

I found the process to be a bit of a palaver, really, considering what I was there for.  I mean consider:  I have already been legally admitted for residence in the country, I am working & have been for awhile, and essentially I'm trying to get this number so I can pay tax, etc as one should.  Soooooo - why was this particular interrogation so much more intensive than what I went through to get either of my visas so far - my fiancee visa and then my LLR?  I dunno?

We went through all the times that I visited my hubby the year before we were married, and then all the times that I have been back to the USA since we got married -- counting each incidence & the days I was away.  I was married twice previously, so she took down each of my former husband's names, when we were married, when we were divorced, and even asked me for their dates of birth!  Lordy!  I was surprised that I remembered all that!  I had the paperwork on the marriages/divorces, but remembering their birth dates was really a stretch!  And TBH, I truly don't see how all that is even relevant to obtaining an NI number.

Document-wise she took copies of my passport, marriage certificate, mortgage paperwork, NHS card, employment contract, pay slips & P-45s, Home Office letter.  I couldn't remember the postal code for when we lived in the flat across the street and I didn't think to take mail we received at that address.  Luckily, my NHS card had that old address on it.  I had compiled several pieces of mail received at our new address, much of what she didn't want to see (other than the items she copied as above).

I guess it was good practice for the ILR visa coming up next year...  But just to get an NI number - sheesh!

PS - And Leeds city centre is always crowded to capacity on Saturdays...today with the Christmas shopping season upon us - it was utterly vile.

congrats carolyn!

It is a nightmare to get the NIN. It took forever to find the right phone number for the right place. My local social security office was worthless and the local job centre at least had the right numbers (after the first wrong one which just rang and rang) to call.

After calling for days, I decided to wait in the phone queue and oh, 20-30 minutes latter I got through and to my surprised she booked me an appointment next Wednesday. She said to bring my passport, job offer and the ORIGINAL tenancy agreement (which my property manager didn't understand why when I had to request that sent to me asap) I also plan on bringing all my documents and first born child just in case they want that too.

I am actually on UKY the first time since I've been over to get a heads up on what to bring... as the woman who booked my appointment didn't even tell me where to go and she was so painfully slow I forgot to ask because I was soooo excited to get an appointment in just 3 working days.

Thanks all!

Hope it goes well for you, JKLM725.  I have to say that I've been somewhat astonished by the range of experiences that people on here have reported with the process of getting their NIN.  Strange that it's not more consistent from one office to another.

I mean ranging from being able to get someone on the phone to not being able to.  Getting an appt within 3 working days, or in my case - within approx 1 week (my appt was on a Saturday), to the lady who had to wait 3 months for her appt.  Then people saying that the interview was quick & easy...versus those of us who've gotten the third degree.  People who've been told what to bring vs not being told what to bring to the interview.  (The list they sent me, as I said, was an exhaustive list of paperwork...but they only ended up needing selected items -- although it still amounted to quite a few documents.)  Then someone saying they got their NIN in the post right away - whereas the office told me 3 months, it's been a week so far & I'm not holding my breath.  Just funny that there's so much variance for accomplishing the same thing!