Voluntary contributions State pension?

twowheelsgood

snowqueen555 said:

Actually paying seems very difficult, I spent so long trying to search how to actually pay that I gave up. I have one year I'd like to pay, it is only £140

It used to be very simple and technically it is. I did it for years and all I did was look on the NI contributions pages for how much was to be saved and sent HMRC a cheque for that value with a covering letter stating for which years Class 2 contributions they should be allocated against.

The issue at the moment is they are not accepting cheques due to COVID but want you to use BACS or direct debit, both of which are fine and easy - except they say to use an 18 digit reference which comes from your self-assessment paperwork.
And at the moment there's no practical way to get that 18 digit reference as HMRC can't answer the phones for you to get a request for one submitted.

The next deadline is October time by which I hope they will be accepting cheques again, and I can hopefully remember the postal address `i've used for the last decade.

comeandgo

You are 27, you will be lucky if you get a state pension when you are 70.  As you state, under current rules you need to pay 10 years NI before you get any benefits.  So many changes will be made before you retire and they may change any pension hope you have.  

HarryGray

comeandgo said:

You are 27, you will be lucky if you get a state pension when you are 70.  As you state, under current rules you need to pay 10 years NI before you get any benefits.  So many changes will be made before you retire and they may change any pension hope you have.  

Exactly. Figuring out whether to do it is difficult as my SPA will be about 45 years away. 

nigelbb

twowheelsgood said:

snowqueen555 said:

Actually paying seems very difficult, I spent so long trying to search how to actually pay that I gave up. I have one year I'd like to pay, it is only £140

It used to be very simple and technically it is. I did it for years and all I did was look on the NI contributions pages for how much was to be saved and sent HMRC a cheque for that value with a covering letter stating for which years Class 2 contributions they should be allocated against.

The issue at the moment is they are not accepting cheques due to COVID but want you to use BACS or direct debit, both of which are fine and easy - except they say to use an 18 digit reference which comes from your self-assessment paperwork.
And at the moment there's no practical way to get that 18 digit reference as HMRC can't answer the phones for you to get a request for one submitted.

The next deadline is October time by which I hope they will be accepting cheques again, and I can hopefully remember the postal address `i've used for the last decade.

I called HMRC last week to get a refund & my tax code adjusted because I am a higher rate tax payer & hade contributed to a SIPP. I had to wait on hold 15 minutes but when I got through was dealt with promptly & efficiently. I think you just need a bit more patience