Employees pay Class 1 National Insurance at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above. The self-employed pay Class 4 at 6% and 2% on profits. Earning above the £6,396 lower earnings limit earns a qualifying year towards your State Pension — even where no NI is actually deducted.
Employees: Class 1
If you’re employed, you pay Class 1 National Insurance through your payslip. For 2025/26 the rates are:
| Earnings | NI rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £12,570 | 0% |
| £12,570 – £50,270 | 8% |
| Over £50,270 | 2% |
Two quirks matter. First, the rate falls to 2% above £50,270 — which is why the marginal deduction on high salaries is 42% (40% tax + 2% NI), not 48%. Second, NI is worked out per pay period and per job, not cumulatively over the year like income tax — so a bonus month is charged more NI, and two part-time jobs can pay less NI than one full-time one. Your employer also pays 15% employer NI on top of your wage, above £5,000.
Self-employed: Class 2 and Class 4
If you work for yourself, you pay income tax on your profits plus Class 4 NI: 6% on profits between £12,570 and £50,270, then 2% above. Class 2 NI was effectively abolished from April 2024 — but if your profits are below the £6,845 small profits threshold, you can pay voluntary Class 2 (£3.45a week) to protect your State Pension record. It’s all collected through Self Assessment.
What National Insurance actually pays for
Unlike income tax, NI buys you specific entitlements. Your record of contributions and credits determines your State Pension(you need 35 qualifying years for the full new State Pension, and at least 10 for any), and affects access to some contributory benefits such as Maternity Allowance and contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The £6,396 threshold most guides skip
Here is a genuinely useful and little-known fact. Even in the band between the £6,396 lower earnings limit and the £12,570 primary threshold — where you pay no NI at all — you still bank a qualifying year towards your State Pension.
Someone earning £8,000in a part-time job pays no National Insurance, but because they’re above the £6,396 lower earnings limit, the year still counts towards their State Pension. That single qualifying year is worth roughly £340 a year of State Pension for life once claimed — for zero NI cost.
When National Insurance stops
Employees stop paying NI at State Pension age (currently 66), even if they keep working — income tax, by contrast, carries on. If you have gaps in your record, you can check them and consider voluntary contributions against your gov.uk State Pension forecast before paying anything.
Work out your National Insurance
See your NI band by band, whether this year counts towards your State Pension, and the employer contribution paid on top of your salary.
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