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Could you please advise how a full year of National Insurance (NI) contributions is calculated? Is it assessed on a month-by-month basis, or is it averaged across the entire tax year? For example, if my contractual annual salary is £60,000, and after 8 months into the tax year, I decide to increase my salary sacrifice for workplace pension contributions to 100% of my salary for the remaining 4 months, my income for the last 4 months of the year would be £0. However, my total salary after sacrifice for the full tax year would still amount to £24,000, with the respective NI contributions deducted during the first 8 months. In this scenario, would the year still count as a full NI contribution year? Does it have any negative impact on my future state pension?

I am currently completing my tax return online for the 2023-24 tax year. It shows that I underpaid tax by £1,500, which is below the £3,000 threshold. I selected "Yes" for the following question: If you are submitting by 30 December, owe tax for 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024 and have a PAYE tax code, do you want us to try to collect the tax and Class 4 NICs due (if below £3,000) through your tax code for 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026? However, when I checked the calculation, it displayed the following: • Total amount due for 2023-24: £1,500 • Plus first payment on account for 2024-25: £750 • Total to be added to Self Assessment account (due by 31 January 2025): £2,250 • Second payment on account for 2024-25 (due by 31 July 2025): £750 This seems to indicate that the underpaid tax from 2023-24 will not be collected through my tax code for 2025-26 as I had expected. Additionally, it assumes an equal liability for 2024-25, which does not reflect my actual circumstances since they have changed, and I do not anticipate owing the same amount next year. Could you please advise on how I can: Ensure the underpaid tax from 2023-24 is collected through my PAYE tax code for 2025-26 as requested. Avoid making payments on account for 2024-25 until I file my tax return next year and provide updated figures. Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to your guidance.