Working Brits have just over two months to top up their state pension.
They can do this by filling in gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record.
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) only allows people to backdate gaps for the past six years, but it allows workers to claim back any lost NI credits, as they are called, from April 2006 to April 2018.
Buying back credits means you can increase the amount of State Pension you receive.
When the ‘new’ State Pension was introduced in 2016, the DWP removed the six-year rule back to 2006. This deadline has been extended three times since the announcement due to demand, but the final deadline is 5 April 2025.
The current full State Pension is £221.20 a week. However, to get that full amount, you will need to have 35 qualifying years of NI contributions.
Workers who have taken time off from employment, such as to raise a family or care for older relatives, may have gaps in their NI contribution history.
How much does it cost?
Making up for one year of missed NI contributions will cost you up to £907.40, which will add £302.64 per year or £5.82 per week) to your pre-tax State Pension.
However, the rate you pay depends on which year you’re topping up:
| Tax year | Rate |
|---|---|
| 2006/07 – 2019/20 (inclusive) | £824.20 (£15.85/week) |
| 2020/21 | £795.60 (£15.30/week) |
| 2021/22 | £800.80 (£15.40/week) |
| 2022/23 | £824.20 (£15.85/week) |
| 2023/24 | £907.40 (£17.45/week) |
| 2024/25 | £907.40 (£17.45/week) |
If you don’t top up your State Pension you’ll get an amount which reflects the number of years you have full NI contributions for.
If you have 30 years of NI contributions, then you’d get 86% of the full State Pension, £190.23 per week (2024/25).
You can top up your NI in two ways via the gov.uk website:
- making voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions; or
- making voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions.
You can’t pay to increase your State Pension beyond the maximum of £221.20 per week (2024/25).
Check your National Insurance record on the DWP website if you have any NI contribution gaps.
Even if you have missing years, you may still qualify for a full State Pension. You can check this by using the Government’s State Pension forecast calculator.
When not to top up your State Pension
Certain benefits automatically come with NI credits, so you may find no gaps in your NI contribution record even though you weren’t working. If you received these benefits, you may not need to top up your State Pension. Examples include:
- if you were on Child Benefit;
- if you were a grandparent looking after children,
- if you were on maternity, paternity or adoption pay;
- if you were on statutory sick pay or
- if you were unemployed and actively looking for work.
If you were ‘contracted out’ of the Additional State Pension before the changes took effect in 2016, then you’ll need to check on Gov.uk whether topping up can help.
