Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992

3 (1) Where earnings are paid to an employed earner and in respect of that payment liability arises for primary and secondary Class 1 contributions, the secondary contributor shall (except in prescribed circumstances), as well as being liable for his own secondary contribution, be liable in the first instance to pay also the earner’s primary contribution, on behalf of and to the exclusion of the earner; and for the purposes of this Act and the Administration Act contributions paid by the secondary contributor on behalf of the earner shall be taken to be contributions paid by the earner.

(2) Notwithstanding any contract to the contrary, no secondary contributor shall be entitled—

(a) to make, from earnings paid by him, any deduction in respect of his own or any other person’s secondary Class 1 contributions, or

(b) otherwise to recover such contributions from any earner to whom he pays earnings.

(3) A secondary contributor shall be entitled, subject to and in accordance with regulations, to recover from an earner the amount of any primary Class 1 contribution paid or to be paid by him on behalf of the earner; and notwithstanding anything in any enactment, regulations under this sub-paragraph shall provide for recovery to be made by deduction from the earner’s earnings, and for it not to be made in any other way.