Haines & Company

Cuts to National Insurance rates benefit January pay packets

Talk to an expert

The 12% to 10% employees national insurance rate cut first announced in the Autumn Statement came into effect in January. This means that many employees will have seen a boost in their take home pay in their January pay packet.


HM Revenue and Customs launched a tool (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/estimate-jan-24-nic-changes) that enabled workers to estimate how the changes will affect them.


The government is naturally keen to emphasise its generosity in this measure and have claimed that a household with two average earners will be starting to see a yearly benefit from the cut of almost £1,000. Naturally, how much benefit earners actually receive will depend on how near the average their earnings are.


The rate reduction only applies to employees’ national insurance, and not employers’ national insurance. This means there is no direct saving for businesses. However, with many businesses under stress to grant pay rises that will combat the increasing cost of living, the reduction may prove to be a helpful component of pay strategy.


See: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-national-insurance-contributions-from-6-january-2024

April 23, 2026
Valuing Your Business: What Buyers Look for and What You Can Do About It

If you are thinking about selling your business, whether that is in six months or six years, one of the first questions you will probably ask yourself is “what’s it worth?”

Read article
April 22, 2026
CBAM Rules: What Importers Need to Know

The government has published further draft legislation on the UK’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). This will have consequences for importers bringing certain carbon-intensive goods into the UK.

Read article