NI Contribution record and state pension - advice appreciated.

OnlyAlan

Whilst I consider myself to be fairly financially savvy, the whole matter of NI contributions and state pension baffles me. So much so that I don't really know what questions to ask here. I will begin with some 'simple' ones and hopefully will begin to grasp how it all works.

I am male and will be 65 this October (born 1951) and I am currently self-employed.
I recently received a State Pension Statement and a copy of my National Insurance record.
My State Pension Statement tells me I have 19 qualifying years and my pension will be £85.33 a week (up to tax year 2014/15).

My NI record is far from good, having had miscellaneous periods of unemployment (often without claiming benefits) and periods of self-employment (without paying contributions).
22 years are marked 'too late to pay' and 12 are marked 'payment not needed'. One year is 'under investigation' and I have the option of paying four years of contributions, totalling about £2500, which seems a good idea.

So, here are my (hopefully simple) questions to get me started:

1. Why does my NI record start from tax year 1975/76 even though I started working in 1968?

2. Why are tax years 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 marked 'payment not needed'? I was self employed (part-time) during these years and did not pay any NI contributions.

3. For the six years (2001/02 to 2006/07) I was a company director on a PAYE scheme. The first four years are marked "Too late to pay" but the last two are marked "Payment not needed'. Any thoughts (guesses) as to why this may be, please?

4. Am I right to assume that the 12 'Payment not needed' years plus the seven years (1968 to 1975) are the 19 qualifying years referred to in my Pension Statement?

Sorry if my questions are 'dim' but I am a bit out of my depth here. Any help/thoughts will be most welcome.

Thanks.

greenglide

The detailed record starts in 1975/1976 because that is when the current earnings related NI contributions started. Before then they were the days of NI cards and sticky stamps stuck on them.

If you paid NI under the old system it should show on the record but just as a number of years at that time, not individual years.

You should have been credited for a couple of years if you stayed at school beyond age 16 and went to further / higher education.

Payment not needed is because you have paid or been credited with the contributions for that year.

I was born in 1951 as well:-)