National Insurance

Formal Neutral

What it really means

A separate payment taken from your wages (as well as income tax) that builds up your right to the State Pension and some benefits. Often written NI or NIC. Employees pay it automatically through PAYE.

Chinese explanation

国民保险：在所得税之外从工资里扣的另一笔款项，用于累积你领取国家养老金和部分福利的资格，常写作 NI 或 NIC。雇员通过 PAYE 自动缴纳。

Example conversation

A: What is this NI line on my payslip? B: National Insurance — it counts towards your State Pension later on.

A：工资单上这行 NI 是什么？ B：国民保险——将来算进你的国家养老金里。

What you could say back

“Do I need a National Insurance number for that?”

Related phrases

National Insurance number PAYE (Pay As You Earn) Deductions

Official sources

Rules and amounts change — confirm important details with the official source.

Go deeper

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Reviewed by the UK Decoded editorial team · Last checked 24 July 2026 · Report a mistake