People thinking of topping up their National Insurance (NI) contributions to increase their state pension may want to act now ahead of a final deadline.
You can currently pay voluntary NI contributions over an extended period, as far back as the 2006/2007 tax year rather than only up to six years ago.
The deadline to top up over this longer period has previously been pushed back to give people more time, with the deadline now set for the end of this tax year, in April 2025.
As there has previously been a rush of people trying to get their application in ahead of the previous final date, Labour MP Graeme Downie asked in Parliament if the Chancellor had considered the “adequacy” of the April 2025 deadline, now just five months away.
Treasury minister, James Murray, said in response that new measures have been brought in since the deadline was extended providing more ways for people to pay for their contributions.
He explained: “Since the deadline extension to support customers, the online Check your State Pension forecast was enhanced and launched on 29 April 2024.
“New functionality enables the majority of working age customers to view their payable gaps and make payments online.”
He added that the National Insurance helpline is still running for those who cannot pay online or who need “additional assistance”.
Addressing the question of a potential last-minute rush of people topping up, he said: “Previous deadlines have resulted in significant telephony demand.
“HMRC is putting in place measures to manage the expected demand in the run-up to the 5 April 2025 deadline, including managing the deployment of resources, the use of interactive voice response messaging and directing customers to the digital service.”
You typically need 30 years of NI contributions to get the full basic state pension, which is currently £169.50 a week.
Those due to get the new state pension will usually need 35 years of contributions to get the full amount, which is £221.20 a week.
You can check if you have any gaps in your National Insurance record using a tool on the Government website.
For those who want to check how much state pension they are on track to receive, there is another tool on the gov.uk website that can help you work this out.
The state pension age is currently 66 for both men and women, although this is gradually increasing to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
The qualifying age will then go up again from 67 to 68, with this second change cuirently timetabled to take place between 2044 and 2046.