NI Increases Are Happening – Again. Are We Just Going to Sit Here?
Just when you thought it was safe to hire someone again, another National Insurance hike quietly lands—less like a policy update, more like a passive-aggressive spreadsheet from HMRC. If you were hoping for some relief on your payroll costs this year, think again.
This isn’t just a financial inconvenience. It’s a signal—a flare shot high into an already smoky economic sky—that once again, the cost of doing business in the UK is rising. And this time, it’s employers who are being asked to shoulder yet another burden.
The Perfect Storm: More Cost in a Stagnant Economy
The timing, as always, is impeccable. We’re in the middle of a productivity slump that shows no sign of resolving itself. Talent is increasingly hard to find—and harder still to keep. And many businesses are running on sheer resilience and caffeine, bound together by gaffer tape, Slack threads, and sheer willpower.
So where does that leave employers?
Facing a choice:
Absorb the cost and take the hit on already thin margins.
Freeze hiring altogether.
Or worse—cut back.
And that’s where we, the accountants, bookkeepers, and business advisors of the UK, come in. Or rather—should come in.
More Than a Messenger: The Accountant’s Role Has to Evolve
It’s easy to forward a GOV.UK link. We’ve all done it. A quick “FYI,” maybe a “let us know if you need help,” and the job’s done. Right?
Wrong.
Because if we’re not helping businesses model the impact of National Insurance increases—who is?
If we’re not forecasting their recruitment costs, or helping them shape smarter hiring strategies—who will?
This isn’t just about being helpful. It’s about being essential. It’s about moving from being historical data merchants to future-facing strategic allies. In an age where financial decisions are made in real-time, businesses need more than compliance. They need clarity.
Let’s Talk Solutions: Could Automation Play a Role for NI Increases?
At Bots For That, we’ve been thinking: maybe it’s time to stop treating NI changes as an administrative nuisance and start addressing them as a process challenge.
What if there was a bot that could:
Automatically model the cost of hiring X people under the new NI rules?
Deliver client-specific NI increase summaries directly into inboxes (without the jargon)?
Plug into payroll systems to flag when hiring costs cross affordability thresholds?
This isn’t sci-fi. This is what automation should already be doing—removing repetitive tasks, surfacing insights, and helping professionals like you focus on advising, not just calculating.
So… fancy a brainstorm? Let’s talk. We’re keen to co-create tools that make your job easier and your clients’ lives clearer.
The Bottom Line (With a Dash of Satire)
Before I go, here’s a half-joke to lighten the load:
If the government won’t listen to common sense, maybe it’s time for the accounting profession to do what we should’ve done decades ago: grab our calculators, sharpen our pencils, and storm Westminster with pitchforks. Just like we did with the Poll Tax in the ’80s.
Surprise, Chancellor. This time it’s personal.
