National Insurance explained How much NI you pay

Class 1 (Employed)

Contracting out

There are several different types of NI contributions

The type of National Insurance contributions you will pay depends on your employment status.

You pay Class 1 contributions on your salary or wage, commission, bonuses and overtime, as well as on sick pay and maternity, paternity and adoption pay from an employer. 

If you are in an employer's pension scheme, the amount on which you pay tax is usually lower then your earnings for NI, because you get no NI relief for pension contributions.

Above the earnings threshold

NI is calculated on gross earnings above the earnings threshold. For 2011-12 this is £139 a week or £7,225 a year.

If you earn above the threshold you pay 12% of your earnings between £7,225 and £42,475 (the upper earnings limit, £817 a week) as Class I NICs. 

On any taxable earnings above £817 a week you pay National Insurance at 2%.

Below the earnings threshold

If your earnings are below the earnings threshold (£139 per week) you pay no National Insurance contributions but still build up rights to benefits, provided you earn £102 a week or more – the lower earnings limit for 2011-12.

Employer's contracted-out pension

If you are in an employer's contracted-out pension scheme, you pay 10.4% instead of 12% – the discount or rebate reflects the fact that you won't get additional earnings-related state pension (known as S2P – second state pension) when you retire. 

The idea is that you invest the rebate in the employer's pension scheme instead.

Class 2 (Self-employed)

If you're self-employed, you pay Class 2 contributions. 

If your profits are less than a certain limit – £5,315 for 2011-12 – you can elect not to pay National insurance, though for any year you don't, you won’t build up benefit entitlement This can mean that you can't claim benefits when you are ill and unable to work.

Class 2 contributions are £2.50 a week for 2011-12.

Class 4 (Self-employed)

If you're self-employed, you must additionally pay Class 4 contributions once your profits reach a certain limit. 

In 2011-12, Class 4 contributions are 9% of taxable profits between £7,225 and £42,475, and 2% of profits above that.

For more on self-employment, see the Which? guide to tax for the self-employed.

Class 3 (Voluntary)

These are voluntary contributions that count towards your total NIC record. 

You can pay them only if: 

  • you're not working 
  • you're not liable for, or you're exempt from, Class 1 or Class 2 NICs 
  • your contributions for a specific year aren't enough to count towards state pension entitlement, or 
  • you live abroad.

Class 2 vs Class 3

The 2011-12 rate is £12.60 a week. If you're self-employed and exempt from Class 2 contributions on account of low profits, it is cheaper to pay Class 2 NI contributions voluntarily than make Class 3 NICs. 

The same applies for years when you work overseas for a foreign employer but want to protect your UK state benefit entitlement for when you come back to the UK. Both count towards your benefits entitlement.

Employers’ contribution

Employers are also required to pay National Insurance to HMRC in respect of their employees.

In the 2011-12 tax year, employers must pay 13.8% on all their employees' earnings over the earnings threshold of £139 per week (a lower rate applies if the employer's pension scheme is contracted out and the employee is a member). They also pay contributions on the value of most fringe benefits.

There is no upper earnings limit on employers' contributions.

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