Demand for NI Contributions after reaching Pension Age

malcolmfowler

According to the HMRC website my wife has

• 45 years of full contributions
• 5 years when you did not contribute enough

She reached 66 on the 4th March 2023 and has just started getting her OAP.

Yesterday we had an HMRC request for National Insurance contributions of £192.15 for two periods where she didn't pay enough.

With 45 years qualifying payments will paying the £192 make any difference to her pension?  I thought you only need 30 years of NI contributions for a full state pension.

Thanks

Dazed_and_C0nfused

malcolmfowler said:

According to the HMRC website my wife has

• 45 years of full contributions
• 5 years when you did not contribute enough

She reached 66 on the 4th March 2023 and has just started getting her OAP.

Yesterday we had an HMRC request for National Insurance contributions of £192.15 for two periods where she didn't pay enough.

With 45 years qualifying payments will paying the £192 make any difference to her pension?  I thought you only need 30 years of NI contributions for a full state pension.

Thanks

That was the previous system.  The rules changed in 2016.

She is under transitional rules where the specific number of years isn't relevant.

What is her current weekly rate of State Pension?  Not the figure for the next tax year.

What do you define a "request" as?  Has she been self employed at all in recent year?

malcolmfowler

Pension is £176 per week.
The request is titled: Self-employed (vol UK)  Class 2 National insurance contributions due.
She was a teacher for most of her career and then worked for my small company for the last few years. 

It's a standard form with a bank giro on the bottom. It starts off...
Payment due £192.15. This request is for Class 2 national insurance contributions, Please pay this by 31st January 2024..... If you do not pay, you may get a reduced State Pension and lose the right to certain benefits. If you do not pay , we will not send any further payment requests.

Any thoughts?

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Personally I wouldn't pay it without understanding which tax year it relates to and why Class 2 is being requested.

But if it's for a post 2016 tax year and Future Pension Centre (DWP) can confirm it will improve her entitlement then it really is a no brainer.

She shells out £192.15.

DWP pay an extra £5.29/week State Pension.  Every week.  For the rest of her life.

And in the next couple of weeks that £5.29/week will become £5.82/week.

If she can find a better investment for that £192.15 please let us know!

sheramber

• 5 years when you did not contribute enough

Where was she working during these 5 years?

born_again

I would contact DWP & ask if it is a genuine request. Not using any contact details from the letter.
Scammers are getting better all the time.
Might not be a scam, but better to check, for the cost of a phone call.

sheramber

born_again said:

I would contact DWP & ask if it is a genuine request. Not using any contact details from the letter.
Scammers are getting better all the time.
Might not be a scam, but better to check, for the cost of a phone call.

DWP won't be much help 

NI Contributions are dealt with by Contributions Agency

born_again

sheramber said:

born_again said:

I would contact DWP & ask if it is a genuine request. Not using any contact details from the letter.
Scammers are getting better all the time.
Might not be a scam, but better to check, for the cost of a phone call.

DWP won't be much help 

NI Contributions are dealt with by Contributions Agency

Thanks 👍

Could also be worth checking

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

If you can once retired.

Newcad

The thing is that HMRC would like you to pay 'missing' NI contributions even when doing so would not increase your state pension.

Sometimes though it is a warning that you haven't paid enough NI for a full state pension.

Before paying what they ask you need to check with a state pensions forcast: https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

PS. I can't do the online check because it needs 'Government Gateway; so I checked mine by post using the BR19 form, takes a bit longer of course.

p00hsticks

Newcad said:

Before paying what they ask you need to check with a state pensions forcast: https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

PS. I can't do the online check because it needs 'Government Gateway; so I checked mine by post using the BR19 form, takes a bit longer of course.

As the OP is already over State Pension Age I don't think they'll be able to get a State Pension forecast. 
But they should be able to look at the ir NI record via their online tax account.