Budget 2024: See whether you win or lose from tax and national insurance tweaks (2024)

National insurance has been cut by a further 2p, so workers will pay 8% of their earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, instead of the 12% it was before Autumn.

But tax thresholds - the amount you are allowed to earn before you start paying tax (and national insurance) and before you start paying the higher rate of tax - will remain frozen.

Follow live reaction to Budget 2024

This means people end up paying more tax than they otherwise would, when their pay rises with inflation but the thresholds don't keep up. That phenomenon is known as "fiscal drag" and it's often called a "stealth tax" because it's not as noticeable immediately in your pay packet.

Enter your salary to the nearest £1,000 in our calculator to see how much better or worse off you are overall, once they balance out against one another.

Budget 2024: See whether you win or lose from tax and national insurance tweaks (1)

If you cannot see the calculator, click here to reopen the webpage.

That low threshold of £12,570 has been in place since April 2021. The Office for Budget Responsibility say that if it had increased with inflation as normal it would be set at £15,220 for 2024/25.

Workers would earn an extra £2,650 tax free each year in that case.

The higher threshold would be more than £61,000, meaning someone on a £60,000 salary would be paying the 40% income tax rate on almost £10,000 more of their earnings.

That would cost an extra £2,000 over the course of a year, more than offsetting the gains from cuts to national insurance.

Overall, workers are better off if they earn between £32,000 and £55,000, or more than £131,000, but everyone else will be paying more in 2024/25 than they would have done if the government had raised the tax thresholds as normal.

Budget 2024: See whether you win or lose from tax and national insurance tweaks (2)

Someone on a £50,000 salary is best off, by £752 a year - not far off what the average package holiday to Europe cost in 2023.

That's because they benefit from the maximum amount of lower national insurance before falling into the high tax bracket.

But someone on £16,000 a year will pay £607 more in total - equivalent to more than three months of average household spending on food.

Their income level means national insurance savings are limited but they are paying 20% in income tax on an additional £2,650 of earnings.

The calculations don't account for any more complex tax deductions or credits for different groups of people, for example student loans, pensions or childcare.

But separate Sky News data analysis shows how young graduates now take home £1,200 less on average each month than they did before the pandemic after adjusting for inflation.

Methodology

Sky News has taken figures for what the new thresholds from 6 April 2024 would have been if they had increased with inflation from the Office for Budget Responsbility (OBR).

To work out how much less national insurance people will pay in 2024/25, we have worked out how much you would have paid on the 12% rate with the current thresholds, and how much you will pay on the 8% rate. This value will always be positive if you earn more than £12,570.

To work out how much fiscal drag has cost you, we have applied the new thresholds from the OBR to the lower 20% rate of tax, the higher 40% rate, and the highest 45% rate. We have also assumed that the taper, when you start losing your personal allowance, starts at £100,000 and you lose £1 for each additional £2 earned, as it was before. This value will always be negative if you earn more than £12,570.

We ran the workings for these calculations by the Chartered Institute of Taxation who corroborated our findings.

To work out the difference we have taken the fiscal drag figure away from the national insurance figure. If it's a positive number you are taking home more pay, but if it's negative you are taking home less pay.

That means that the fiscal drag savings assume that national insurance is 8% rather than the 12% it was before. If national insurance had stayed at 12%, the effect of fiscal drag would have been even greater for lower earners.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open-source information. Through multimedia storytelling, we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

Budget 2024: See whether you win or lose from tax and national insurance tweaks (2024)

FAQs

Budget 2024: See whether you win or lose from tax and national insurance tweaks? ›

Budget 2024: See whether you win or lose from tax and national insurance tweaks. Workers will see more money in their pay packet because of the 2p cut to national insurance, but frozen tax thresholds will be costing them in a less noticeable way.

What are the tax changes for 2024? ›

For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rises to $14,600 for 2024, an increase of $750 from 2023; and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $21,900 for tax year 2024, an increase of $1,100 from the amount for tax year 2023.

How much will the UK budget in March 2024? ›

On 6 March 2024 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt presented the Budget to the House, alongside the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) Economic and Fiscal Outlook. In his statement to the House the Chancellor announced a series of tax measures, some of which will be included in the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2023-24.

What are the tax changes for 2024 in Canada? ›

Budget 2024 proposes to increase the capital gains inclusion rate from one half to two thirds for corporations and trusts, and from one half to two thirds on the portion of capital gains realized in the year that exceed $250,000 for individuals, for capital gains realized on or after June 25, 2024.

Why is everyone owing taxes this year in 2024? ›

Under-withholding from Your Paycheck

Under-withholding is the #1 reason individuals owe taxes. This occurs when not enough tax is taken out of your paychecks throughout the year. If you haven't updated your W-4 form after a major life change, income adjustment, or second job, you might find yourself in this situation.

At what age is social security no longer taxed? ›

Social Security income can be taxable no matter how old you are. It all depends on whether your total combined income exceeds a certain level set for your filing status. You may have heard that Social Security income is not taxed after age 70; this is false.

What to expect in the budget 2024? ›

Key tax cuts and reforms announced:

National Insurance Contributions: from April 6th Employee NIC will be cut by 2p from 10% to 8%, and for self-employed will be cut from 8% to 6%. Non-domicile tax status will be “abolished” and replaced by a “modern, simpler and fairer” system from April 2025.

What is the budget deficit for 2024? ›

The deficit totals $1.6 trillion in fiscal year 2024, grows to $1.8 trillion in 2025, and then returns to $1.6 trillion by 2027. Thereafter, deficits steadily mount, reaching $2.6 trillion in 2034.

How much is cost of living payment UK 2024? ›

The £299 payment, the final component of the £900 package, was due on February 22, 2024. Recipients and past beneficiaries of these payments need to be informed that in 2024 there won't be any more Cost of Living Payments unless the government takes further action or makes announcements.

What are the new benefits in Canada in 2024? ›

Launching the Canada Disability Benefit

The federal government is making this new benefit a reality. Budget 2024 proposes funding of $6.1 billion over six years, beginning in 2024-25, and $1.4 billion per year ongoing, for a new Canada Disability Benefit, including costs to deliver the benefit.

Will tax returns be smaller in 2024? ›

The rebound in 2024's average refund size is due to the IRS' adjustment of many tax provisions for inflation. The standard deduction and tax brackets were set 7% higher for the 2023 tax year, the period for which taxpayers are now filing their taxes.

Is inheritance taxable in Canada? ›

Is inheritance taxable in Canada? In Canada, there is no inheritance tax. For income tax purposes, most of the estate's assets are deemed to be sold at fair market value upon death (unless some assets in the estate are inherited by the surviving spouse or common-law partner, where certain exceptions are possible).

Will I get a bigger tax refund in 2024? ›

So far in 2024, the average federal income tax refund is $2,850, an increase of 3.5% from 2023. It's not entirely unexpected: To adjust for inflation, the IRS raised both the standard deduction and tax brackets by about 7%.

What are the new tax rates for 2024? ›

From 1 July 2024, the proposed tax cuts will:
  • reduce the 19 per cent tax rate to 16 per cent.
  • reduce the 32.5 per cent tax rate to 30 per cent.
  • increase the threshold above which the 37 per cent tax rate applies from $120,000 to $135,000.

What are the standard deductions for 2024? ›

Standard deduction 2024

The 2024 standard deduction is $14,600 for single filers and those married filing separately, $29,200 for those married filing jointly, and $21,900 for heads of household. The 2024 standard deduction applies to tax returns filed in 2025. $29,200. $21,900.

What are the new 1099 rules for 2024? ›

H.R. 7024 would increase the reporting threshold for the 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC from $600 to $1,000 for payments made on or after January 1, 2024. For future years, this threshold would be tied to inflation. The bill would also decrease the reporting threshold for payments of direct sales from $5,000 to $1,000.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Neely Ledner

Last Updated:

Views: 6344

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (62 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Neely Ledner

Birthday: 1998-06-09

Address: 443 Barrows Terrace, New Jodyberg, CO 57462-5329

Phone: +2433516856029

Job: Central Legal Facilitator

Hobby: Backpacking, Jogging, Magic, Driving, Macrame, Embroidery, Foraging

Introduction: My name is Neely Ledner, I am a bright, determined, beautiful, adventurous, adventurous, spotless, calm person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.