HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has said the deadline for people to plug gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record will be extended.
People now have almost an extra two years to fill in gaps in their records going back to April 2006, following another deadline extension.
Tens of thousands of people have already taken advantage to pay voluntary contributions and the revised deadline is expected to enable tens of thousands more to do the same.
Men born after April 5, 1951, and women born after April 5, 1953, now have more time to check their records and decide whether to pay voluntary contributions to make up for gaps they may have in their NI record from April 2006.
Victoria Atkins, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: “People who have worked hard all their lives deserve to receive their state pension entitlement, and filling gaps in National Insurance records can make a real difference.”
How to check your National Insurance contributions
Checking your NI contributions online is simple. All you need to do is ensure you have a Government Gateway user ID which you can set up on gov.uk before checking your contributions.
Details you’ll need to provide are your National Insurance Number as well as other personal details. From there, sign into the "Check your National Insurance record" service which activates your personal tax account and allows you to examine all of your HMRC records.
You can also check your contributions by requesting the government to send a printed National Insurance statement which provides all of the documents you need. You can ask for the post to be sent via an online application or by dialling 0300 200 2500.
How many years of NI do you need for a full pension?
Before you begin receiving your basic state pension, you will need around 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions. While for the new state pension, you need 10 qualifying years for part of the claim and up to 35 years for the full claim.
How to make voluntary NI contributions
According to gov.uk, you can usually pay voluntary contributions for the past 6 years. The deadline is April 5 each year.
That means you have until April 5, 2024, to make up for gaps for the tax year 2017 to 2018.
Before you pay, check your National Insurance record to find out if you have any gaps and if you’re eligible to pay voluntary contributions. You can pay online by approving a payment through your online bank account. Contact HMRC if you’d like to pay quarterly or make a one-off payment.
When is the National Insurance deadline?
Taxpayers have until April 5, 2025, to fill gaps in their National Insurance record from April 2006 that may increase their State Pension.
