Answers · UK 2025/26
How much National Insurance do I pay on £30,000?
On a £30,000 salary you pay about £1,394 in employee National Insurance for 2026/27 — roughly £116 a month. NI is charged at 8% on the £17,430 of earnings between the £12,570 Primary Threshold and your salary.
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Employee (Class 1) National Insurance for 2026/27 is charged at 8% on earnings between the £12,570 Primary Threshold and the £50,270 Upper Earnings Limit, then 2% above. On a £30,000 salary, all the NIable earnings fall in the 8% band: £30,000 − £12,570 = £17,430 × 8% = £1,394 a year, about £116 a month. Note that NI is calculated per pay period rather than cumulatively, so the monthly figure assumes even pay; an irregular month could deduct more or less. Worked example contrast: the same person also pays £3,486 Income Tax on £30,000, so total deductions are £4,880 and take-home is £25,120. Employers separately pay 15% secondary NI on earnings above their threshold, but that does not reduce your pay. National Insurance is a UK-wide tax and is not devolved, so Scottish workers pay exactly the same NI as the rest of the UK even though their Income Tax differs. If you contribute to a pension via salary sacrifice, your NIable pay falls and your NI bill drops. Workers over State Pension age pay no NI at all. Use the National Insurance calculator to check other salaries.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.