What Is National Insurance? How Much Will I Pay in 2025/26?
National Insurance (NI) is a tax on earnings that funds state benefits including the NHS, State Pension and unemployment support. It appears on your payslip alongside income tax — but it works differently, has its own thresholds, and stops being charged above a certain level.
Who Pays National Insurance?
Employees pay Class 1 National Insurance on their earnings. Employers pay a separate employer contribution on top (this does not come out of your pay, but it is a cost your employer bears). The self-employed pay Class 4 NI through Self Assessment.
2025/26 Employee NI Rates and Thresholds
| Earnings | NI rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £12,570 (Primary Threshold) | 0% |
| £12,570 to £50,270 (Upper Earnings Limit) | 8% |
| Above £50,270 | 2% |
The rate above £50,270 dropped from 12% to 2% in recent years. Higher earners still pay NI on all their earnings — there is no equivalent of the income tax Personal Allowance where NI disappears entirely.
How Is NI Different from Income Tax?
- NI is charged on earnings (salary, wages), not on savings interest, rental income or dividends
- There is no NI-free personal allowance — you start paying at £12,570, the same as income tax, but above £50,270 the rate drops to 2% rather than rising
- NI contributions build your entitlement to the State Pension; income tax does not
- NI stops when you reach State Pension age (currently 66); income tax continues for life
- NI is calculated per pay period; income tax is cumulative across the year
What Do NI Contributions Get You?
Each qualifying year of NI contributions counts toward your State Pension and other contributory benefits. You need 35 qualifying years to receive the full New State Pension (£221.20 per week in 2025/26). You need at least 10 years to receive anything at all.
Gaps in your NI record can be filled voluntarily. If you have years with fewer than 52 qualifying weeks — due to career breaks, time abroad or low earnings — you can pay Class 3 voluntary contributions to top them up.
NI and Salary Sacrifice
Salary sacrifice reduces your gross pay for NI purposes as well as income tax. This means contributions to a salary-sacrifice pension scheme save you 8% NI on those amounts (if you earn between £12,570 and £50,270) in addition to the income tax saving. It is one of the most tax-efficient ways to save for retirement.
Employer National Insurance
Your employer pays 15% NI on your earnings above £5,000 (from April 2025, following the October 2024 Budget changes). This is separate from what you see on your payslip, but it affects the total cost of employing you — which matters when negotiating salary or choosing between cash pay and benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Marcel Tonet
AAT Qualified · CeMAP Qualified · Tech & Financial Services
Marcel is an AAT-qualified accounting technician and CeMAP-qualified mortgage adviser with a career spanning technology and the UK financial services industry. He built and maintains Salary Take Home UK, updating all tax rates and thresholds each April for the new tax year.
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