The changes to the personal income tax and National Insurance contribution (NIC) rules announced in the Growth Plan will be of great interest to employers, as these will have a direct impact on the cost of assignments, payroll withholding, hypothetical tax deductions, and like matters.
The specific impact of the measures announced will depend on each taxpayer’s particular set of circumstances. However, in many instances – particularly for high-income earners – an employee’s U.K. tax burden would be reduced as a result of these measures.
Employers will need to take account of the decrease in NIC rates and income tax rates when calculating the cost of assignments to the United Kingdom. This will also impact hypothetical tax calculations and payroll withholding. Payroll software should be updated to reflect the new NIC rates ahead of the change on 6 November 2022.