National Insurance

National Insurance credits can help qualifying applicants to fill gaps in their National Insurance record. This can assist taxpayers to build up the number of qualifying years of National Insurance contributions and which can increase the amount of benefits a person is entitled to, such as the State Pension.

This could happen if someone were:

• employed but had low earnings;
• unemployed and were not claiming benefits;
• self-employed but did not pay contributions because of small profits; and
• living or working outside the UK.

National Insurance credits are available in certain situations where people are not working and therefore, not paying National Insurance credit. For example, credits may be available to those looking for work, who are ill, disabled or on sick pay, on maternity or paternity leave, caring for someone or on jury service.

Depending on the circumstances, National Insurance credits may be applied automatically or an application for credits may be required. There are two types of National Insurance credits available, either Class 1 or Class 3. Class 3 credits count towards the State Pension and certain bereavement benefits whilst Class 1 covers these as well as other benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Taxpayers may also be able to pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps if they are eligible.

HMRC offers an online service to check your National Insurance Contributions (NIC) record online. In order to use the service, you will need to have a Government Gateway account. If you don't have an account, you can apply to set one up online.

By signing in to the 'Check your National Insurance record' service you will also activate your personal tax account if you have not previously done so. HMRC’s personal tax account can be used to complete a variety of tasks in real time, such as claiming a tax refund, updating your address and completing your Self-Assessment return.

Your National Insurance record online will let you see:

• What you have paid, up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2023).
• Any National Insurance credits you’ve received.
• If gaps in contributions or credits mean some years don’t count towards your State Pension (they aren't 'qualifying years').
• If you can pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps and how much this will cost.

In some circumstances it may be beneficial, after reviewing your records, to make voluntary NIC contributions to fill gaps in your contributions record to increase your entitlement to benefits, including the State or New State Pension. 

There are two types of National Insurance contributions (NICs) payable by most self-employed people. These are known as Class 2 NICs and Class 4 NICs.

Class 2 NICs are paid by all self-employed taxpayers unless they earn under the Small Profits Threshold (SPT), currently £6,725, which remove the necessity to pay NICs. Class 2 NICs are currently payable at a flat weekly rate of £3.45 for the 2023-24 tax year. Class 2 NICs count towards payments such as the basic State Pension, the employment and support allowance, maternity allowance and bereavement benefits.

In addition, most self-employed people are also required to pay Class 4 NICs. The self-employed are required to pay Class 4 NICs (as well as to Class 2 NICs) if their profits are £12,570 or more a year. Class 4 NIC rates for the tax year 2023-24 are 9% for chargeable profits between £12,570 and £50,270 plus 2% on any profits over £50,270.

There is also a specific list of jobs where class 2 NICs are not payable. These are:

• examiners, moderators, invigilators and people who set exam questions;
• people who run businesses involving land or property;
• ministers of religion who do not receive a salary or stipend; and
• people who make investments for themselves or others – but not as a business and without getting a fee or commission.

If you fall within any of these categories, it may be beneficial to get a State Pension forecast and examine whether to make voluntary Class 2 NICs to make up missing years.

National Insurance credits can help qualifying applicants fill gaps in their National Insurance record. This can assist taxpayers in building up the number of qualifying years of National Insurance contributions and which can also increase the amount of benefits a person is entitled to, such as the State Pension.

This could happen if someone was:

• employed but had low earnings;
• unemployed and were not claiming benefits;
• self-employed but did not pay contributions because of small profits; or
• living or working outside the UK.

National Insurance credits are available in certain situations where people are not working and therefore not paying National Insurance credits. For example, credits may be available to those looking for work, who are ill, disabled or on sick pay, on maternity or paternity leave, caring for someone or on jury service.

Depending on the circumstances, National Insurance credits may be applied automatically or an application for credits may be required. There are two types of National Insurance credits available, either Class 1 or Class 3. Class 3 credits count towards the State Pension and certain bereavement benefits whilst Class 1 covers these as well as other benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Taxpayers may be able to pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps if they are eligible.

National Insurance credits can help qualifying applicants fill gaps in their National Insurance record. This can assist taxpayers to build up the number of qualifying years of National Insurance contributions which can increase the amount of benefits a person is entitled to, such as the State Pension.

National Insurance credits are available in certain situations where people are not working and, therefore, not paying National Insurance credit. For example, credits may be available to those looking for work, who are ill, disabled or on sick pay, on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, caring for someone or on jury service.

Depending on the circumstances, National Insurance credits may be applied automatically or an application for credits may be required. There are two types of National Insurance credits available, either Class 1 or Class 3. Class 3 credits count towards the State Pension and certain bereavement benefits whilst Class 1 covers these as well as other benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance.

There are usually no National Insurance credits available to the self-employed that need to pay Class 2 National Insurance or for older married women who chose to pay a reduced rate of National Insurance (pre-April 1977).

In certain circumstances it can be beneficial to make voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to increase your entitlement to benefits, including the State or New State Pension.

Usually, HMRC allow you to pay voluntary contributions for the past 6 tax years. The deadline is 5 April each year. However, there is currently an opportunity for people to make up for gaps in their NICs for the tax years from April 2006 to April 2017 as part of transitional measures to the new State Pension.

This deadline was set to expire on 5 April 2023 but had been extended until 31 July 2023. The deadline has now been further extended until 5 April 2025 to help allay continued concerns that the existing deadline would not have allowed many taxpayers to fill gaps in their NIC records. HMRC’s helplines have been struggling to meet the demands for information and processing claims to pay additional NIC contributions.

HMRC has also confirmed that all relevant voluntary NIC payments will be accepted at the rates applicable in 2022-23 until 5 April 2025.

You might want to consider making voluntary NICs if:

• You are close to State Pension age and do not have enough qualifying years to get the full State Pension.
• You know you will not be able to get the qualifying years you need to get the full State Pension during the remainder of your working life.
• You are self-employed and do not have to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions because they have low profits.
• You live outside the UK but want to qualify for benefits.

If you fall within any of these categories, it may be beneficial to get a State Pension forecast and examine whether you should consider making voluntary NICs to make up missing years, known as topping up. Not everyone will benefit from making voluntary NICs and a lot depends on how close you are to retirement age and your NIC payments to date. If you think this opportunity may be relevant to your circumstances, please be in touch.

HMRC offers an online service to check your National Insurance Contributions (NIC) record online. In order to use the service, you will need to have a Government Gateway account. If you don't have an account, you can apply online.

By signing in to the 'Check your National Insurance record' service you will also activate your personal tax account if you haven’t already previously done so. HMRC’s personal tax account can be used to complete a variety of tasks in real time, such as claiming a tax refund, updating your address and completing your Self-Assessment return.

Your National Insurance record online will let you see:

• What you have paid in contributions up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2023).
• Any National Insurance credits you’ve received.
• If gaps in contributions or credits mean some years don’t count towards your State Pension (they aren't 'qualifying years').
• If you can pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps and how much this will cost.

In some circumstances it may be beneficial, after reviewing your records, to make voluntary NIC contributions to fill gaps in your contributions record and thus to increase your entitlement to benefits, including the State or New State Pension. If you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to be in touch.

Directors are classed as employees and pay National Insurance on annual income from salary and bonuses that exceeds the Primary Threshold. The annual threshold is £12,570 in the current 2023-24 tax year.

Many director shareholders take a minimum salary and any balance of remuneration as dividends. This tends to reduce National Insurance Contributions (NICs), and in some case income tax. The planning strategy is to pay a salary at a level that qualifies the director for state benefits, including the State Pension, but does not involve payment of any NICs.
 
A director’s liability to NI is worked out based on their annual (or pro-rata annual) earnings. This differs from regular employees whose liability is calculated based on their actual pay period, usually weekly or monthly. Payments on account of a director’s NICs can be made in a similar way as for employees. However, an annual adjustment must be made at the end of the tax year.

Directors, who are first appointed during a tax year, are only entitled to a pro rata annual earnings band which depends on the actual date appointed and on the amount of time remaining in the tax year. Care needs to be taken in these circumstances to avoid an unexpected liability to pay NIC.

There are a number of considerations to take into account when setting the most tax/NIC efficient salary/dividend package. Please call if you need advice in this area.

In some circumstances it can be beneficial to make voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to increase your entitlement to benefits, including the State or New State Pension.

Usually, HMRC allow you to pay voluntary contributions for the past 6 tax years. The deadline is 5 April each year. However, there is currently an opportunity for people to make up for gaps in their NICs for the tax years from April 2006 to April 2017 as part of transitional measures to the New State Pension. This deadline was set to expire on 5 April 2023 but has now been extended until 31 July 2023 after the government accepted significant public concern that many taxpayers would not meet the deadline.

You might want to consider making voluntary NICs if:

• You are close to State Pension age and do not have enough qualifying years to get the full State Pension.
• You know you will not be able to get the qualifying years you need to get the full State Pension during the remainder of your working life.
• You are self-employed and do not have to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions because you have low profits.
• You live outside the UK but want to qualify for certain benefits.

If you fall within any of these categories, it may be beneficial to get a State Pension forecast and examine whether you should consider making voluntary NICs to make up missing years, known as topping up. Not everyone will benefit from making voluntary NICs and a lot depends on how close you are to retirement age and your NIC payments to date. If you think this opportunity may be relevant to your circumstances, please be in touch.

If you move abroad, it can often be advantageous to continue paying your UK National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in order to preserve your entitlement to the State Pension and other benefits.

If you are working in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, or Switzerland the rules depend on your situation.

The main rules are as follows:

• If you work for an employer in the EU or Switzerland. You’ll normally pay social security contributions in the country you work in instead of NICs. This means you will be covered by that country’s social security laws and may be entitled to benefits there. However, your entitlement to benefits in the UK (for example State Pension) may be affected as there will be a gap in your NIC contributions record.
• If you work for an employer in Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. You may need to pay into more than one country’s social security scheme at the same time. You need to check if you are covered by the EEA-EFTA Separation Agreement.
• If your UK employer sends you to work in the in the EU or Switzerland. You might be able to continue paying NICs if you are abroad for up to 2 years. This means you won’t have to pay social security contributions abroad. There is a special form which an employee or employer must complete to notify HMRC and apply for the relevant certificate. These special rules can also apply if you are self-employed or working in the UK and one or more EU countries at the same time.

Some countries have a Reciprocal Agreement (RA) or Double Contribution Convention with the UK. You will usually pay social security in the country you are going to if you work in any of the following:

• Barbados, Bermuda, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kosovo, Mauritius, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Turkey and USA.

For all other countries not covered by a social security agreement, you may need to pay social security contributions in the country where you are working. You must continue paying NICs for the first 52-weeks you are abroad if you meet the following qualifying conditions:

• you are working abroad temporarily;
• your employer has a place of business in the UK;
• you are ordinarily resident in the UK; and
• you were living in the UK immediately before starting work abroad.