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IFS Warns £2,000 Salary-Sacrifice Cap Will Hit 4.7 Million Workers

The think tank says private‑sector staff would bear the brunt of losses.

Overview

  • New IFS analysis published Wednesday says the planned cap would affect 4.7 million employees from April 2029.
  • Salary sacrifice lets workers swap gross pay for employer pension payments, which cuts National Insurance bills for staff and firms.
  • The change would charge National Insurance on pension saving above £2,000 done through salary sacrifice, reducing take‑home pay for higher contributors.
  • The IFS estimates about one million households would lose around £888 a year on average, with average losses of about £540 for those affected.
  • Private‑sector workers face a larger hit than public‑sector staff, the Treasury disputes the figures and targets about £2.6bn in extra revenue by the early 2030s, and experts warn some employers could drop these schemes or curb pay rises.