LITRG: Act now to boost your state pension

For a limited time, certain people are able to make voluntary contributions to cover any gaps in their National Insurance record dating back as far as the 2006/07 tax year¹, potentially boosting entitlement to the new state pension². 

This applies to people who have already retired and are claiming the new state pension, as well as those who have not yet reached state pension age³. 

However, the extended window to make voluntary contributions for years from 2006/07 to 2018/19 will end on 5 April 2025, following which the window will revert to the usual six tax years. 

People can check whether they have gaps in their National Insurance record and, in some cases, make voluntary National Insurance payments via their HMRC personal tax account on GOV.UK or the HMRC App⁴. 

However, some people may not be able to use the online service, or they may wish to discuss their position with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)⁵ to understand their options before making a payment.  

Given the volume of people attempting to contact the DWP in the lead up to the deadline, the department has now launched a call back service⁶, meaning that people who submit a call back request before the deadline will still be able to make contributions back to 2006/07, even if they aren’t contacted by DWP until after the 5 April 2025 deadline. 

DWP say a call back could take up to 8 weeks. 

LITRG is also reminding people to check for any potential tax and benefit implications that might arise from any increased state pension entitlement.

Antonia Stokes, LITRG Interim Senior Manager, said: 

“If you have gaps in your National Insurance record, it can potentially make a big difference to the amount of state pension you receive now or in the future.  

“Usually, voluntary National Insurance contributions can only be made for the previous six tax years, but as part of the transition to the new state pension which began in 2016, the government has extended this window for plugging older gaps in a person’s National Insurance record. 

“The deadline to make voluntary contributions dating back to 2006/07 will end in a few weeks’ time, so it is time to act if you want to take advantage of this. 

“The easiest way to find out if you have a gap in your National Insurance record and how much it might cost to plug it, is to check your online tax account on GOV.UK or contact the DWP.  

“It won’t always be necessary or worthwhile to fill historic gaps, particularly if you already have sufficient years, or are still a long way off state pension age and are likely to continue building up qualifying years. If you are unsure, it is a good idea to speak to the DWP to fully understand your options before you go ahead with a payment. Use the DWP call back request form if you are struggling to get through to them. 

“Finally, if you are considering making a payment of voluntary contributions, check the tax and benefits interactions, particularly if you are already claiming your new state pension. A higher state pension may mean more tax to pay and/or less means tested benefits. 

“Current state pension claimants should also check that any updated state pension entitlement is accurately reflected for tax purposes, for example in any PAYE coding notices, or tax calculations you receive from HMRC. 

“Do this as soon as you receive any increased award to prevent any nasty surprises in the future.” 

^{Notes for editors}

^{1. More information can be found on the LITRG website – Act now to maximise your state pension entitlement!}

^{2. To be eligible for the new state pension, a person must have a certain number of ‘qualifying years’, where National Insurance contributions have been paid or credited to their record. Currently, 35 qualifying years are usually needed for the full new state pension and 10 qualifying years for a partial new state pension. See National Insurance and the state pension and National Insurance credits (LITRG website).} 

^{3. Taxpayers can check their projected state pension age on GOV.UK.} 

^{4. To access the online HMRC Personal Tax Account or HMRC App you will need a Government Gateway account.}  

^{5. If you need to speak to DWP about making voluntary contributions, you can contact DWP’s Pension Service if you are already claiming state pension, or the DWP’s Future Pension Centre if you are not yet claiming state pension.} 

^{6. The DWP call back request form can be found on GOV.UK. It is recommended that you take a photo of the request confirmation, so show that this was submitted before 5 April.}