Guide discussion: Voluntary national insurance contributions

jem16

mountainsandoceans said:

jem16 said:

mountainsandoceans said:

But I'm not an organisation so I'm a bit confused. Has this happened to anyone else? Any advice as to how to fix it? 

Are you registered via an accountant to do your tax returns?

I've worked out that a long long time ago I filled in a self-assessed tax return for something so I think I was classed as self employed then. I had a phone call with HMRC some point after that and confirmed I no longer needed to fill in my own tax returns and that there didn't seem to be anything else I needed to do. 
I never had an accountant, but I wonder if that's why I'm classed as an organisation rather than an individual? 
I wonder if there's anything I can do to change that? Whether I could re-confirm that I'm no longer self employed? 

It's more likely that at some point you had an organisation set up either for tax return or refund purposes. Just being on SA wouldn't cause it. You will need to contact HMRC.

mountainsandoceans

jem16 said:

mountainsandoceans said:

jem16 said:

mountainsandoceans said:

But I'm not an organisation so I'm a bit confused. Has this happened to anyone else? Any advice as to how to fix it? 

Are you registered via an accountant to do your tax returns?

I've worked out that a long long time ago I filled in a self-assessed tax return for something so I think I was classed as self employed then. I had a phone call with HMRC some point after that and confirmed I no longer needed to fill in my own tax returns and that there didn't seem to be anything else I needed to do. 
I never had an accountant, but I wonder if that's why I'm classed as an organisation rather than an individual? 
I wonder if there's anything I can do to change that? Whether I could re-confirm that I'm no longer self employed? 

It's more likely that at some point you had an organisation set up either for tax return or refund purposes. Just being on SA wouldn't cause it. You will need to contact HMRC.

I see. I have no idea how I managed to do that. Thanks for your help. I will try and contact them. 

mountainsandoceans

If I'm not able to complete the CF83 form online, and I have to send it by post, does anyone know how that works? Will it still count towards the deadline depending on the date it is sent or is it the date it is received? 
I'm also worried about sending it internationally. Apparently for postal forms, the wait is about a year to hear whether it's been received and accepted. If it never arrives I may not realise for a year. (I will try and get it tracked etc). 
(I will also continue to try and get access to submitting the form online if I can). 

jem16

mountainsandoceans said:

If I'm not able to complete the CF83 form online, and I have to send it by post, does anyone know how that works? Will it still count towards the deadline depending on the date it is sent or is it the date it is received? 
I'm also worried about sending it internationally. Apparently for postal forms, the wait is about a year to hear whether it's been received and accepted. If it never arrives I may not realise for a year. (I will try and get it tracked etc). 
(I will also continue to try and get access to submitting the form online if I can). 

It's the date received by HMRC that would count.

mountainsandoceans

I’ve been trying to fill in a CF83 form before the April deadline but I do need to speak to HMRC at some point to swap from being an organisation to an individual on my account so that I can actually complete the form and that is proving difficult to do. 

I had been thinking of filling two gaps in my NI contributions - 2008-09 £412.10 and 2015-16 £507.20. 

But the more I’ve been thinking about it the more I’m not sure it’s worth it. 

I currently have 9 years of contributions and need to contribute for another 26 years according to my forecast. 

I am 36 and I think I have 32 years in which to do that. 

I’ve been living abroad for 3 years and did not realise until recently that I could be paying class 2 contributions here instead. I am employed here and have been the whole time, as well as before I left the UK.

I think I could cover the gaps from when I moved instead - 2022-23 and 23-24 (and subsequently 24-25 etc) paying Class 2 contributions and then continue to make voluntary class 2 contributions from now on. In that way I could make up a couple of years potentially cheaper than the two earlier years (08-09 and 15-16) that I was originally thinking of paying. 

So I was thinking if I can’t fix things now, of actually just waiting, and then speaking to HMRC on the phone when I visit the UK in the summer and sorting things out then. 

What do we think? 

molerat

Looks like the best / easiest / most pragmatic solution.  You have until April 2029 to fill that first overseas year so there is no real panic to get it all sorted.  You could be filled up by the time you are 60 with plenty of breather space at the far end if you miss any.  So you don't actually need those 2 years.

mountainsandoceans

molerat said:

Looks like the best / easiest / most pragmatic solution.  You have until April 2029 to fill that first overseas year so there is no real panic to get it all sorted.  You could be filled up by the time you are 60 with plenty of breather space at the far end if you miss any.  So you don't actually need those 2 years.

Thank you. I really appreciate your thoughts. I was starting to see it that way, but I didn't trust that I'd understood the situation well enough to be certain about it. 

brightredflowers

Hello

Hoping to get some guidance from the experts on here, on if it is worth me topping up my VNIC's? My statement reads as below, and I have calculated this as £4,893. I have back read the forum and can see that you can send a cheque in the post, with a covering letter and your NI number on the back of the cheque.

I have been in receipt of my state pension since June 2022.  I would like to be paid the New State Pension rate, and am wondering if the £4,893 would achieve this, apologies at my lack of maths ability to work this out for myself. Thank you to any one who can answer

  

Gaps	Cost of filling gaps
2021 to 2022	£800.80
2020 to 2021	£795.60
2019 to 2020	£824.20
2018 to 2019	£824.20
2017 to 2018	£824.20
2016 to 2017	£824.20

molerat

How much are you currently receiving per week, that list is meaningless without that information.

brightredflowers

Apologies £723.80