Ill health pension and National Insurance

dmackay41

Help...I cannot find anything in any of the Govt websites regarding this.

I am 50 and have recently been retired on an ill health pension. I am unable to work as a result and more or less housebound. I have looked at all the benefits I am entitled to, but have the problem that the ill health element of my pension is likely to disappear when I reach State Pension age - this is the company pension scheme rule.

If this is the case, my income would obviously be reduced. In the meantime, do I have to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill in the gap of what would have been my working life. I do not want any elegible State Pension to be reduced as my income would be dropping by half at that time as per the last paragraph. I get no means tested benefits as my pension income is £400 per week.

Basically, do I have to pay NI, and if so where and how?

Thanks in advance to those more knowledgeable on this site.

Dennis

zzzLazyDaisy

You need to make a claim for incapacity benefit. Depending on how much your ill-health pension is, you may lose some or all of the IB money, but your NI contributions will be paid.

allydowd

You might want to contact HMRC (used to be called the Inland Revenue) directly to ask about your National Insurance contributions. They will be able to give you the right advice for your particular circumstances. Click the link below for details:

HMRC link