The burden of the rise in National Insurance will be felt by people on their next payday as they try to juggle surging living costs on a shrunken wage packet, experts have warned. Here is a look at why the increase is happening and why "awful April" is seen as just the start of a string of tough months ahead:
Why is National Insurance going up?
The UK government says the 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insurance (NI) will be spent on the NHS, health and social care. Employees, employers and self-employed people will all pay an extra 1.25p in the pound on anything earned above the tax-free threshold.
