National Insurance is a tax that is deducted from your take home salary if you're over the age of 16 and either an employee earning over £242 a week or self-employed and making a profit of more than £11,908 a year. While it is a tax it can help build your entitlement to certain benefits depending on whether you are employed or self-employed, such as the State Pension and Maternity Allowance. How much National Insurance you pay depends on how much you earn.

If you're an employee earning between £123 and £242 a week or self-employed and your profits are between £6,725 and £11,908 a year, National Insurance is not deducted from your salary.

Take Home Calculator calculates how much national insurance you will pay by subtracting your personal allowance from your gross annual take home pay.