Guide discussion: Voluntary national insurance contributions

ni_formular

I had the same issue, i have yet to send them a dispute letter, seems its not worth it unless they accept error was due to ignorance of the rules. I put off paying earlier when the impression was given, by a lot of websites, that class 2 could be payed back to 2006.I did however get some years including 2015/16 to the date I stopped being SE. Got the 18 digit number payed online, now waiting for my record to be updated before I decide what to do. 

Chris657

I will be eligible for my state pension in September 2025. I currently pay class 2 contributions. Checking my Gov.Gateway advises that as of April 2025 my pension will be £218.00 per week or £11,336 per annum which includes my class 2 contributions for April 2023 to April 2024.  If I want to make my payment up to the full amount of currently £221.20 per week or £11,502 per annum would I be able to make further but partial contributions between April & September, i.e. a part year to get me closer to the full pension amount or do my NI payments have to cease in April 2025? 
Thankyou.

jem16

Chris657 said:

I will be eligible for my state pension in September 2025. I currently pay class 2 contributions. Checking my Gov.Gateway advises that as of April 2025 my pension will be £218.00 per week or £11,336 per annum which includes my class 2 contributions for April 2023 to April 2024.  If I want to make my payment up to the full amount of currently £221.20 per week or £11,502 per annum would I be able to make further but partial contributions between April & September, i.e. a part year to get me closer to the full pension amount or do my NI payments have to cease in April 2025? 
Thankyou.

The tax year in which you reach SPA does not count for state pension purposes. Your last contribution year will be 2024/25.

molerat

jem16 said:

Chris657 said:

I will be eligible for my state pension in September 2025. I currently pay class 2 contributions. Checking my Gov.Gateway advises that as of April 2025 my pension will be £218.00 per week or £11,336 per annum which includes my class 2 contributions for April 2023 to April 2024.  If I want to make my payment up to the full amount of currently £221.20 per week or £11,502 per annum would I be able to make further but partial contributions between April & September, i.e. a part year to get me closer to the full pension amount or do my NI payments have to cease in April 2025? 
Thankyou.

The tax year in which you reach SPA does not count for state pension purposes. Your last contribution year will be 2024/25.

If the big green box at the top states £218.00 then you need to look back at your NI record for gaps. If you are self employed you need to especially check for gaps when you know you paid class 2, yes there are a few errors out there where your record may not have been credited.  Also look for years where it shows "we are checking" as those may or may not come up later as full.  Also of course look for any genuine fillable gaps back to 2006-07.

MouldyOldDough

Does the fact that DWP are now making up my NI credits by way of being entitled to ESA but not actually claiming it - due to a lack of recent NI credits -  now entitle me to claim ESA ?

ie) Are Class 1 credits = class 1 credits or are the different types of Class 1 credits ?

molerat

No because you would need at least one of the 2 required years to come from NI contributions from employment or self employment.  They are not stupid and have thought that one through

MouldyOldDough

molerat said:

No because you would need at least one of the 2 required years to come from NI contributions from employment or self employment.  They are not stupid and have thought that one through

That's what I assumed - but can't find anything regarding it on-line

molerat

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66616ab1dc15efdddf1a87db/dmg-vol8-ch41.pdf

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/379/contents/made

The first contribution condition
41029 The first contribution condition is satisfied1 if
1. the claimant has actually paid class 1 or class 2 NI contributions in respect of any one of the last two complete tax years before the beginning of the relevant benefit year

The second contribution condition
41033 The second contribution condition is satisfied1 if
1. in the last two complete relevant income tax years before the beginning of the relevant benefit year the claimant has
1.1 paid or been credited with class 1 or class 2 NI contributions or

Bricks

I actually asked a similar question this time last year... 

Checking my record there are lots of years where it says:

My question was whether I should assume that this basically meant these were years which wouldn't count towards my pension. 

I was asked whether I was self-employed during these years, and yes I was. Does this mean that I should assume these years won't count? Obviously I only have between now and April for the message to announce that they have "finished checking" and give me a definitive answer, but that's not going to happen, right?

Last year I decided to revisit in a year's time, which is what I'm doing now, but nothing seems to have changed.

molerat

It's unlikely that message will change before they reconcile your records to calculate the pension.  If you need those years then you need to contact them to get them updated. Do you think you paid class 2 in those years? The option may still be open for some.