What does National Insurance pay for? How the Tory manifesto tax cut would work

The Conservatives have pledged to cut National Insurance (NI) for the third time in the space of a year, saving the average worker £449 a year. 

Rishi Sunak’s bold proposal, which will be to the benefit of 27 million households, comes as his party desperately tries to close the wide gap in the polls to Labour.

The pledge – to be officially announced in Tuesday’s manifesto launch – comes after the employee rate of NI was reduced from 12pc to 10pc last autumn and then to 8pc in spring. The next plan cut would mean it falls to 6pc.

The commitment is further evidence that the Conservatives are attempting to make tax a clear dividing line with Labour during the election campaign, promising to lower levies while accusing the opposition of planning tax rises.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said Mr Sunak is “taking people for fools” by pledging further NI reductions, stressing that the prime minister “should level with people that the money simply isn’t there”.

How much a 2 percentage point cut National Insurance will save you

A worker on the average £35,000 salary will save £449 in tax thanks to the planned NI reduction, according to wealth manager Quilter.

Someone earning £50,000 will be £749 better off, while lower earners on £20,000 will save £149.

Shaun Moore, of Quilter, said: “This may be a case of too little, too late. 

“The reality is that many people are looking at the difficulties that public services are facing at the moment and wondering how such a tax cut like this will impact the NHS, schooling and other state support.”

Tax experts pointed out that, taken together with the deep freeze on income tax and other thresholds, many people will still be worse off.

Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “A National Insurance cut would offer a tax break to hard-pressed workers, but they would still be squeezed horribly by the frozen tax thresholds.

“It means that as people’s pay rises, they automatically pay more income tax, and risk being pushed into a higher tax bracket. Already 2.1 million people have been dragged into paying income tax because of it.

“Another NI cut would bring down the rate of tax they pay, but doesn’t unwind the fact they’re paying this tax in the first place.”

What is National Insurance?

National Insurance is paid by workers who are 16 or over, earning at least £242 a week and under state pension age.  

NI receipts are used to fund benefits, including the state pension, as well as maternity allowance, bereavement support payment and new-style jobseeker’s allowance.

Similar to how income tax is levied, the money is taken from your payslip through PAYE if you are employed, or via self-assessment if you work for yourself or need to declare additional forms of income.

The amount you pay depends on how much you earn; the type of contribution – known as the “class” – you pay depends on whether you work for an employer or for yourself.

Under “Class 1” National Insurance, you pay 8pc on earnings between £242 and £967 a week, and 2pc on earnings over £967 a week.

How long do you pay National Insurance for?

You continue to pay contributions until you reach state pension age (currently 66 years old). 

After this, if you work for an employer, you no longer have to make payments even if you still have a job. 

How does National Insurance impact your pension?

The amount of state pension you receive depends on a few factors, including when you reach or reached state pension age and, chiefly, how many full years of National Insurance contributions (NICs) you’ve made by the time you reach it. 

To qualify for the new state pension (men born after April 6 1951 and women born on or after April 6 1953) , you’ll need at least 10 years of NICs.

To get the full state pension, you’ll need the full amount which is 35 years. So, racking up enough NICs over your working life can be the difference between getting an extra £10,000 a year in government payments when you reach retirement.

Although most people work for at least 35 years, many don’t. For example, you might have been a low earner who did not pay NICs, out of work and not claiming benefits, self-employed with low profits, working part-time or living abroad.

Any of these situations can create gaps in your National Insurance record – and could mean you get a lower state pension as a result.

If you’re in this situation, you do have options to fill these gaps, and one of those is buying voluntary NICs.

Will National Insurance be abolished?

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt previously revealed his ambition to abolish National Insurance, vowing to “end this unfairness” of “double taxation”. However plans to abandon the levy in the coming years are yet to be mapped out.

Treasury estimates suggest that stopping all workers paying NI would cost around £50bn, and potentially benefit the average worker by around £2,000 a year.

Why is your National Insurance number important?

You’ll usually be issued with a NI number just before you turn 16. This is made up of two letters, six numbers and a final letter – and is unique to you.

All sorts of people and bodies may need to know your NI number, such as HMRC, employers and pension providers, your local council, student finance agencies, banks, building societies and other financial services.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.