How long until Class 2 payemnts are allotted to a blank year?

Maharishi

Hello guys, asking here as I cannot phone out due to a phone mast locally being KO'd by "Dennis" ...
I have started back-paying my NI class 2 in order to get up to a full state pension by the time I retire in mid 2022.  I am 15 years short and so by paying £20 a week I can just about get there by March 2022.  So far, so good.  When I was discussing this on the phone a few weeks back, the (very helpful) chap I was speaking to basically said that "when you have paid enough for a full year, into your account, it will get allocated to one."  What I failed to ask was, "How long, after I reach enough for a full year, does it take to show up on my record via the HMRC Gateway?"  I am kind of assuming that it would be an automated digital process and so would occur within a day or two of hitting the threshold ...
I hit my first full year yesterday but, of course, as of yet nothing has changed.  Do you think that it will update soon or is it only done every April 5th?
Many many thanks.

EDIT; After a lengthy conversation with DWP, although I could go back as far as 2006/7, anything prior to 2013 will be at £780/year and not £156 as I was previously told.  Not so delighted after all.

OldMusicGuy

My wife has just got her class 2 for 2015/16 credited to her record. So it can take some time. It was a complicated process for reasons we cannot fathom. 2016/17 and 2018/19 were processed more quickly, but it has never been a couple of days in our experience. At least several months after the tax year end seems common. 

drumtochty

We paid class 2 contributions for the good lady in May 2019 for the 2018 2019 tax year by filling in her 2018 2019 tax return.

The £150 or so was still in the paid box in the HMRC tax return payments site at the end of November 2019. Just after Xmas 2019, I checked again and it had moved out of the HMRC paid box. Checking the National Insurance record it had changed from 2018 2018 not credited to 2018 2019 full year.

At the end of January 2020 we got a letter from the DWP to advise that her state pension already in payment would be increased to 168.60 per week. Just checked the bank account and her 4 weekly pension payment is not due for 2 days, the 20th February but I assume she will get the back payment then.

Do not get your knickers in a twist over this, it makes no difference what so ever whether it shows in two weeks or two months.

It will be two years time before the pension payment is made to you. You are worrying about nothing. Get on with life as the DWP people are not that bothered about this and phoning them will only upset you when you cannot get throught to them or the person you speak to does not understand how to answer your question.

Maharishi

Thanks for the replies.  I am the type of person that does worry, and, as I'll be trying to catch up 7 years in 2020 and another 7 on 2021, I would sleep better if I saw it actually incrementing in a timely fashion.  Obviously I know that payments are getting to my account but the above examples do seem quite drawn out.  My first payment is in respect of 2006/7, so a little further back than your cases, and it's also being paid as a separate entity rather than as part of a tax return.
I may make one phone call if we ever get our phone mast back!  Thank you so much for helping me out.

Tassie_Devil

I paid 7 years' worth of class 2 contributions recently, chq cashed on Dec17 2019, credited to my contribution record Feb 18, so there's a bit of a wait for processing.

The current year was one of the 7 I paid, and that still isn't showing so I assume that won't happen until the end of this tax year.

Maharishi

Tassie_Devil said:

I paid 7 years' worth of class 2 contributions recently, chq cashed on Dec17 2019, credited to my contribution record Feb 18, so there's a bit of a wait for processing.

The current year was one of the 7 I paid, and that still isn't showing so I assume that won't happen until the end of this tax year.

Yes, I have had a morning of phone calls to HMRC NI and DWP and have found out some useful information ...
1.  You can only back pay 6 years of class 2 and not 15 (or whatever it was touted as)
2.  You can back pay for more years but the other years will be class 3 which is £780 for each year as opposed to £156.
3.  Your payments are not automatically allocated to a year - you have to make them direct to HMRC NI, using an 18 digit reference number that they will give you upon request, and then call a few days afterwards and instruct them which year you want the money attached to.  Apparently, your NI record via the HMRC Gateway should update within 72 hours.

It seems that all this has occurred mainly because they have never had me registered as self employed despite putting in a return for 38 consecutive years.  As I was paying an accountant up until 2018, I guess that he ought to have picked this up.  Anyway, he's retired now and pushing 80 so that's water under the bridge.

So, the bottom line is that I can only get to 29 full years by pension day rather than the 35 that I was hoping for.  I certainly won't be seeking to part with £780 for each year beyond that (as it would take me 162 weeks at current rate to recoup that).  Plus I can't afford it, (more to the point).  I hope that this information assists others in a similar situation.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

So, the bottom line is that I can only get to 29 full years by pension day rather than the 35 that I was hoping for.  I certainly won't be seeking to part with £780 for each year beyond that (as it would take me 162 weeks at current rate to recoup that).  Plus I can't afford it, (more to the point).  I hope that this information assists others in a similar situation.

If the additional years are for this year or the future then you could become self employed again and pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance at £156/year.

Maharishi

Dazed_and_C0nfused said:

So, the bottom line is that I can only get to 29 full years by pension day rather than the 35 that I was hoping for.  I certainly won't be seeking to part with £780 for each year beyond that (as it would take me 162 weeks at current rate to recoup that).  Plus I can't afford it, (more to the point).  I hope that this information assists others in a similar situation.

If the additional years are for this year or the future then you could become self employed again and pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance at £156/year.

2013/14 through 2021/22 and that's it.  9 years to add to my 20 before June 2022 which is when I turn 66.  There can be no more unless I back-pay from 2012/13 at a higher class 3 rate of £780/yr.
I am still self employed ...