Voluntary NI contributions

Anonplussed

I paid for an extra 5 years NICs in March 2022 and still no increase in my state pension. Can anybody tell me if this waiting timescale is the norm?

northernsparky

I applied on 31 March for 3 years 

By the end of April I contacted HMRC to check they had the payments - I was told to wait until 6 weeks had passed & then they could check. So contacted them mid may , and since they could not track the payment they commenced a trace on the payment
it took them until mid June to find the payment - but on the same day I contacted them they allocated the payments to the correct years  - the following day it was showing on the Government Gateway site.   

Try giving them a ring & check how your payment is being progressed - it can’t hurt 

xylophone

I paid for an extra 5 years NICs in March 2022 and still no increase in my state pension. 

Do you mean that your SP is in payment and you were expecting an increase in your weekly/monthly amount?

Or do you mean that you are expecting to see an increase in your state pension forecast?

 Have you checked NI record here

https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

Anonplussed

Thanks. I am receiving SP & it does show the extra years bought on their website. I've contacted the dwp 3 times and been told the same story "It's awaiting approval". I was just wondering if this long wait is normal.

Silvertabby

The 6 weeks previously mentioned refers to those of us who paid before we reached SPA.  A much simpler procedure than adding to a pension that's already in payment.

I can only speak as a retired LGPS administrator, not DWP, but updating pension records and THEN bringing them into payment was (usually) a straightforward procedure.

However, having to unpick a pension that was already in payment, updating it, then putting the correct amount into payment,  was much more complex.

The DWP calculations may not be quite as convoluted as the LGPS, as the increased State pension is only backdated to the date the extra NI was paid - but I suspect that the payment and then the re-calculation has to go through an enhanced checking system, which all takes extra time.

t0rt0ise

I had paid extra NI before starting to receive my state pension and it still took them several paydays to pay me the right money and backpay. Everything they do is very slow and only gets slower so yes, it's normal.

bigfer

i paid for an additional year a couple of weeks ago using BAC with a unique reference code. my record was updated within a couple of days, which made a pleasant surprise. 
HMRC and the NHS, you need to keep pushing them as they just shuffle your enquiry to the bottom of the pile. I use to let things run their natural course, but unfortunately incompetence and bad manners are now the norm in these establishments. Give them a ring, if you can spare an hour.