PPS number (Personal Public Service Number)

The Department of Social Protection says a PPS number helps you access social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland. It is always 7 numbers followed by either one or two letters. A list of specified public bodies may use it, including Revenue. Children born in Ireland receive one automatically when their birth is registered; adults who move to Ireland apply for their own.

Revenue says your employer must have your PPS number for you to avoid Emergency Tax, an alternative basis on which income tax and USC are deducted at emergency rates when your employer cannot get a Revenue Payroll Notification for you. When you start your first job you should also register for Revenue's myAccount and add the job using your employer's Tax Registration Number, which Revenue says is in the same format as a PPS number. HSE National Doctors Training and Planning lists a PPS number and an active myAccount among the things a doctor moving to Ireland should have before starting.

Citizens Information notes that employers should not ask for your PPS number when recruiting, only when you actually take up the job.

1. Set up a basic or verified MyGovID account.
2. Apply online at MyWelfare and book an in-person appointment at a PPS Number Allocation Centre.
3. Bring evidence of identity: for a non-EU/EEA citizen, your current passport or a 1951 travel document.
4. Bring evidence of your address in your name, not older than 3 months, such as a utility bill, bank statement, tenancy agreement or official letter. If you stay with friends, a bill plus a note from the bill holder is accepted.
5. Show why you need it, for example to take up employment.

Citizens Information says you can apply for yourself and your child in the same application, and you both attend the appointment. The Department says a parent or guardian must hold a PPS number before applying for a child who was not born in Ireland. A spouse or partner who will work on Stamp 1G needs their own number.

You can apply online at MyWelfare or by post from abroad, but only if you need a PPS number to deal with a specified Irish body, and you must explain why. Most health workers moving for a job apply after arrival, once they have an Irish address. Employers, solicitors and accountants can also apply on your behalf with a signed consent form.

• No proof of address yet. The Department accepts an official letter or third-party confirmation of address, so ask your employer or landlord for one early.
• Emergency Tax on early payslips. Give your employer the number and register the job in myAccount; overpaid tax can be refunded.
• Mixing it up with your IRP. Your IRP card proves immigration permission; the PPS number is for tax and services.