You pay National Insurance contributions to qualify for certain benefits including the State Pension.
You pay National Insurance if you’re:
- 16 or over
- an employee earning above £153 a week
- self employed and making a profit over £5,885 a year (unless you get an exception)
The exact amount you pay depends on:
- how much you earn
- whether you’re employed or self-employed
You may also want to pay voluntary contributions to make up for gaps in your National Insurance record. For example, you can have a gap because you weren’t working and didn’t get any state benefits.
When you stop paying
If you’re employed, you stop paying Class 1 National Insurance when you reach the State Pension age.
If you’re self-employed you stop paying: