National insurance deductable on earnings of 7k in a tax year?

[user098765316384950]

I've just received my last pay slip from work after leaving to become a SAHM. It included a few extra bits they owed me, holiday etc. The payment was £2400, but they've deducted about £180 National Insurance. Since April I've only earned £7000 in mat pay etc. Is this right, or should I get a rebate? I've not been taxed, it's only the NI and student loan that have been deducted.

You pay it if you earn over £168 each week.

Thanks @BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz. Is it cumulative though? I earned over £168 each week during this pay period, but not across the course of the year.

I think it's payable per week rather than having an allowance over the year.

It is based on the payment in the pay period, not on a cumulative YTD amount. So if your pay period is monthly then it is anything over the lower earnings limit for a month.

Make sure to claim Child Benefit so that your NI contributions are counted by the state.

I have paid NI one month this year. Apart from that one month I have earned a maximum of £150 per week, currently less as I'm furloughed. Will it get automatically refunded to me or because I earned enough that 1 month is it gone for good?

National Insurance (NI) is not the same as Income Tax.
Income Tax is calculated over the full year. For example, you earn over the threshold in one month, so you pay tax. But in total over the full year you earn below the threshold, you may get a rebate.

National insurance is calculated on a weekly or monthly basis. If you earn over the weekly/monthly threshold, you pay NI. You don't get NI refunded, even if you earn less money the rest of the year.

Just from a personal point if view, NI is really important. NI determines how much state pension you receive and certain benefits.
If you don't pay or get credits, you may not get anything.