Unable to top up pre-2016 NI contributions on website.

philsathome

After going on Gov.UK website to top up missing years I noticed that pre 2016  there was the same message”we are checking….you do not need to do anything “.Calling the helpline I am informed that pre 2016 cannot be done online and takes up to takes 6 weeks to calculate! When I said there was nothing on the website indicating this there was no real answer.The panic is rising as it takes it to the wire- April5th!! Has anyone got a way round this .Any pearls of wisdom greatly appreciated.

molerat

Unfortunately with that statement on the years it is down to someone manually checking and that is not going to happen by April 5th.  You should really have dealt with this years ago.

philsathome

Yes I know .I have been abroad and realise my ignorance but was awakened by Martin Lewis saying it was possible to go back to 2006 but did not see any mention of it now being too late.

Aged 45 to 70? Urgently consider buying national insurance years

You may be able to turn £800 into £5,500 in your state pension

pinnks

HMRC have said that if you have started the process to pay, then you are protected.  Maybe a letter to HMRC NIC Team explaining your situation may enable you to protect you position?  Worth a try... 

philsathome

Many thanks for your advice