Self-employed Class 2 NICs/State Pension

elphicks

I'm self-employed, have always paid Class 2 NICs via self-assessment tax return, and have one final year's contributions to make (2018-19) in order to gain the maximum state pension I can.

I've just finished my tax return and although my profits are above the £6205 minimum for paying Class 2 NICs, my total income is lower than my personal allowance, so have no tax or NICs to pay.

Does anyone know how I can make a final NIC contribution?

Pennywise

There's a box you can tick to make voluntary class 2 contributions.

Norman_Castle

Does anyone know how I can make a final NIC contribution?

Through the self assessment form. It asks if you want to pay class 2 contributions to top up your pension.

elphicks

Thanks for your replies. I should have mentioned that when I select the pay voluntarily button the self assessment form says there's a problem "your profits are the same or above the small profit threshold, select "No" to select "Yes" if you want to pay Class 2 NICs voluntarily. As Class 2 amount is not available or is zero select "No" to select "Yes" if you want to pay Class 2 NICs voluntarily.
So I then select the No button, complete my return, and on the view your calculation page it states in red "The Class 2 NICs amount is not available"

Any ideas?

drumtochty

Yes same issue here with the Good Ladies tax return today for 2018 2019 and putting in some small trading income to allow her to pay 1 years voluntary NI for 2018 2019.


Whn we got to the Class 2 NI page it says there is no Class 2 NI to pay, do you wish to pay Voluntary Class 2 Contributions. We tick yes to Voluntary contributions the box and get

• [FONT=&quot]As Class 2 NIC amount is not available or is zero , select 'No' to 'Select Yes if you want to pay Class 2 NICs voluntarily'[/FONT]

· [FONT=&quot]Do you want to pay Class 2 NICs voluntarily? [/FONT][IMG]file:///C:/Users/Eddie/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif[/IMG][FONT=&quot]ERROR: Please check and amend the entry below. [/FONT]
· [FONT=&quot]Yes [/FONT]
· [FONT=&quot]No
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]WWhen you get to the calculations page at the top it says[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Class 2 NIC amount is not available[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]



Phoned the HMRC helpline and it said we are too busy, Goodbye on the 2nd day that you are able to do a tax return for the year!


A web search advises that this is a common error message from HMRC dating back to 2017.

elphicks

Hi drumtochty. I managed to speak with an advisor at HMRC. They said to submit the return as is (ie with no calculated NICs), then give them a call after 3-4 days and they will enter an amount manually.

drumtochty

Great, I phoned them but the message I got was we have too many callers in the que and was advised I would be auto disconected.

uknick

You just got to love the HMRC, not. So we have to answer NO when we mean Yes, then it takes No as being we don't want to pay voluntary NICs.

And, people say tax is not complicated, maybe they're right, but the forms sure are:rotfl:

drumtochty

[FONT=&quot]Ok, I have been meaning to get in touch with the PAYE helpline to pay the voluntary Class 2 NI contributions but it is always too busy and auto disconnects.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]At 8:00am on Monday 3rd June, I got through to the HMRC PAYE helpline and advised that there was an issue getting Class 2 voluntary payments to work on the self-assessment return.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The help desk person said as previously advised accept that you do not want voluntary NI payments and submit the return.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]They gave me a phone number for the DWP who would sort it out. I thought I was being spun a tail.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I contacted the DWP and the lady there was great and she advised that as it was for the 2018 2019 tax year, DWP could not take the voluntary NI payments, they only take them for the years before that.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]She then said she could transfer me to the correct person in HMRC but could not give out the phone number of that specific department.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]We were transferred to the correct department in HMRC. The lady there was also great.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]She said first she would try to click the voluntary NI box from her system as she could see the 2018 2019 live tax return we had submitted. It worked for her.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]She then said how do you want to pay and that the easiest way was via electronic banking?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]She then gave me the sort code and account number for HMRC which was the usual one for punters PAYE payments and advised to pay the £150 or so with the UTR and a K in the reference box.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Did the Bank transfer this morning and will chase up the NI people to transfer the funds to the NI account as soon as the monies appear on the HMRC account.[/FONT]