Class 2 National Insurance is one of the two kinds of National Insurance (NI) that you pay if you’re self-employed.

The other kind is Class 4.

You only start paying Class 2 NI once you earn over £6,475 a year from self-employment.

It’s a fixed amount calculated at £3.05 per week – that’s a flat £159 per year.

What you need to remember about Class 2 National Insurance:

• you will pay this yourself through a Self Assessment tax return – same as with Income Tax on your self-employment earnings
• once you earn over £9,501 a year you will also pay Class 4 NI
• you must pay Class 2 National Insurance even if you earn under the Personal Allowance
• if you’re also working as an employee (for example, you work in sales during the day and freelance as a tutor in the evenings), you’ll pay both Class 1 NI and Class 2 (and maybe even Class 4) NI. You can use this employed and self-employed calculator to see what kind and how much NI you pay.