Living abroad - Class 2 NIC & buying extra years

asparagus18

Hi All,

 

looking for a bit of advice on Class 2 NIC (living abroad) and “buying” extra years.

 

German National, lived and worked in UK from 2001 – 2012, one “missing” NIC year (2008-2009), which I have until April 2023 to fill in.

 

Back in Germany (and not planning to ever return to the UK) since 2012, paying voluntary Class 2 NIC since then and intend to continue (best deal ever!). As I reach SP age in August 2029, the maximum number of qualifying years I can accrue is 28, which is not going to be enough to get the full State Pension.

 

Question: Is it possible to buy another, say, five to seven years before reaching SP age, even though I will not have any gaps at all? Or is this only allowed as a “gap-filling exercise”? I hope my question makes sense.

 

I have requested a Pension Forecast by post (not possible online without a UK passport) – should I wait for this first, i.e. is it likely that my question will be answered by the info in the forecast?

 

Thanks in advance for any input!

molerat

You can only fill gaps, you cannot just buy extra.

tightauldgit

You can only go back and fill in gaps in your record for the past few years, you can't make extra contributions over and above that to buy extra years. 

asparagus18

Thank you both for the quick replies!

It makes sense to only be allowed to fill gaps, even though for me, it means I won't be able to get a full SP - unlucky but cannot be changed. None of this was on my radar when I decided to move to the UK but I am still very lucky with 17 years of cheap Class 2 NIC.