National Insurance Calculator
Work out what you’ll actually pay in National Insurance. Enter your income and employment status to see a full breakdown using current 2026/27 HMRC thresholds and rates.
Calculate Your NI Contributions
Enter your annual income and employment status below. The calculator will break down exactly how much National Insurance you’re likely to pay, band by band.
NI Contribution Solver
Estimate your Class 1 or Class 4 National Insurance liability
NI Quick Facts
Essential insights into UK National Insurance
Understanding National Insurance
National Insurance isn’t one flat percentage of your income. It’s charged in bands, and the rate changes as your earnings cross each threshold.
Nothing Below the Threshold
The first slice of your income, up to the Primary Threshold (employees) or Lower Profits Limit (self-employed), is free of National Insurance entirely.
The Main Rate Band
Once you cross the threshold, the main rate applies, 8% for employees or 6% for the self-employed, on everything up to the Upper Earnings Limit.
The Reduced Rate Above the Limit
Any income above the Upper Earnings Limit is charged at a lower 2% rate for both employees and the self-employed.
Add It All Up
Your total contribution is the sum of what’s due in each band. Employers deduct this automatically through PAYE; the self-employed pay it through Self Assessment.
Things Worth Knowing
A few points that often catch people out when planning around National Insurance.
NI Builds Your State Pension
Your National Insurance record determines your entitlement to the State Pension and certain other benefits, so gaps in contributions can matter later on.
Multiple Jobs Are Assessed Separately
If you have more than one employer, each job’s earnings are generally assessed against the thresholds independently, which can mean paying more NI overall than a single job at the same total salary.
Frozen Thresholds Mean Rising Bills
Because the Primary Threshold and Upper Earnings Limit are frozen until 2030/31, pay rises can pull more of your income into taxable NI bands over time, even without a rate change.
Voluntary Contributions Exist
Self-employed workers below the small profits threshold, or anyone with gaps in their NI record, can sometimes make voluntary contributions to protect future benefit entitlement.
National Insurance FAQ
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about UK National Insurance contributions.
For 2026/27, employees start paying Class 1 National Insurance once earnings pass the Primary Threshold of £12,570 a year (£1,048 a month, £242 a week). No National Insurance is due on earnings below this level.
Employees pay 8% on earnings between the Primary Threshold (£12,570 a year) and the Upper Earnings Limit (£50,270 a year), and 2% on any earnings above the Upper Earnings Limit, for the 2026/27 tax year.
Self-employed workers pay Class 4 National Insurance on profits, at 6% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above that, for 2026/27. Class 2 contributions became voluntary for most self-employed people with profits above the small profits threshold, and can still be paid to protect entitlement to certain state benefits.
Yes. The Primary Threshold and Upper Earnings Limit have been held at £12,570 and £50,270 respectively, and the government has confirmed these thresholds will stay frozen until the 2030/31 tax year, meaning more income is gradually drawn into higher NI bands as pay rises.