Urgent warning to anyone those age 45 + re: National Insurance & state pension

[lechatnoir]

Apologies if this has already been posted but the deadline to plug any NI contribution gaps is closing on 5th April and gaps in contributions could have a significant impact on your state pension so well worth looking at.
It may require you to pay for top-up (apparently not always but not applicable to me) but I was shocked to find I had gaps of a few years even though was employed & paying tax & NI!

Details & instructions on here: www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions/

Finally got through to the future pensions line , took about 30 attempts and then an hour and 15 mins holding , I’m a persistent bugger! Thanks to the OP for making me pull my finger out and finally get this sorted though .

@DoorstoManual thanks very much, my two are 15 and 12 so I'm guessing this continues until youngest is 16. Unless they scale it down or after one turns 16 then I might need to bump it up a bit. Obviously before April though. It would be great if we got as many reminders about this sort of thing as we do from HMRC!

You stop getting NI credits once your child reaches 12.

You stop getting the credits when your child is 12, not 16 (as I found out from this thread)

@AlwaysLatte

Looks like I was wrong.

This morning was a new low, I rang on the dot of 8.00, got all the spiel, had a ringing tone and then got cut off.

The ringing tone was a nice addition and added to my hopefulness only to have my hopes cruelly dashed.

Given that it is a pension line, you can’t even time your attempts around the school run because I for one am posting from bed and my 21 and a big bit “child” has already left for work. 🙄

You stop getting NI credits once your child reaches 12.
Really? Thanks very much, I guess I will need to pay the next two years' worth then, before they stop that option. This has been such a helpful post.

100%. The goal posts will be moved. The government cannot be trusted. Invest in gold / different asset classes just to diversify.

I can't get through to their helpline or find anything online... Does anyone know if you can pay in advance - I need to pay for the next two years to qualify for full pension as I will lose my child NI credits (youngest is now 12 and we don't get child benefit). I am assuming that if I don't do this by April it will be too late to pay.

I need 32 years. I think the 3 years as an undergraduate don't count.

As far as I'm aware, you cannot pay in advance only in arrears as you don't know if you will be working/paying NI in the future.
You can pay for any gaps in the previous 6 years going forwards so it will only be the 2016/17 year closing in April.
I tend to check each year and pay any underpayment for the previous financial year as soon as it becomes possible as it is cheaper the earlier you pay it.

Thanks so much for posting. This has been so helpful, I just didn't know.

@Mecemethat's really helpful, thank you. I'm retired so I will need to pay the full NI contributions myself now that my youngest is 12 and I believe I therefore don't qualify for the NI exemptions for him. But it's good to know it will still be possible to pay for gaps in the future. I misunderstood and thought they were doing away with that option in April - I guess it's just for that year then.

Well, I've been at this caper for 2 weeks now. I can't even get in a queue to speak to someone at either HMRC or FPC, they both cut out after automatic option messages and I've tried at different times of the day. The message has changed slightly. I think all the staff who are meant to be answering the phones are hiding in the stock cupboard with the light out, tittering.

I'm stumped now. Is there any point writing to HMRC?

I speak to HMRC every day, several times (as part of my job). I log on to my phone system at 07.56, I dial the number at 07.59 ish on the dot and it takes a minute to go through their spiel. It is very rare I don’t get through as one of the first people on the phone.

I have 44 years of NI contributions but still won’t get the full pension. I will have to pay another £4000 to £5000 voluntary until I do

It is very rare I don’t get through

Really? Aaagghh! No need to gloat! 😁

Yes, I've tried ringing at 07.59 (and many other times tbh) but no luck. Never say die! I'll try again tomorrow.

I am assuming that if I don't do this by April it will be too late to pay.

When do you qualify for a state pension? If it’s more than two years away, there’s no hurry.

Why is this the case? I have 39 years of contributions and already qualify without paying extra. I'll be working for another 10 years so will have nearly 50 years by the time I retire but I've already paid enough.

@Bchagall it depends whether or not you paid contracted out contributions or contracted in contributions.

When I go on the website it simply says pretty much everything is unavailable or 'not working' - no idea if it's the gov site playing up tonight or there is a bigger issue.

Hmm, and now it's working again 🤷‍♀️

Have 6 years to add for full pension. Only missing years are for 5 years whilst at university. The 3 years before that are full years though, when I was at school. During university I only did PT work in holidays.
I've just turned 50y, so on the countdown!

Thank you. So effectively 44 years of lower contributions as contracted out. That explains it. Thanks.

Just to add, on the phone lines now, they are saying if you can't get through, there will be a grace period this year to make up payments, because of the difficulty in getting through to them. I am on the phone this morning again, 40 mins and counting.