NI Top Up Deadline Extended To 5th April 2025

FlowerMSE

Well perhaps not. I made enquires with the Pension Service in 2017, and was told it was not worthwhile for me. I asked again recently and was told I could buy a year. I don't suppose for a minute I was the only one given wrong information.

Muttleythefrog

QrizB said:

Honestly people you've had twelve years.

Waiting until the very last day of those twelve years, and knowing it falls on a Saturday when lots of bits of government have shut for the weekend, seems a bit reckless?

Cases will vary.... for the most part yes people should be sorting this much sooner... but we've had a long running issue over carer's credit and they have screwed up - they still cannot answer a simple question and even lost for months a reconsideration request. We've been unable to determine carer's credit relevant information for my partner for the entire time she has lived in the UK and the lack of even any direct contact details for that department makes it frustrating. Then we've got a system that seems to fail and agents who seem clueless regarding NI top ups. We're probably going to have to jump today and top up (even though her online account is saying it is too late!) and potentially unnecessarily. We've been dealing with this all through my advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment which only on thursday in appointment called into question whether my wife would be getting credits through me for much longer and whether she'll even remain in country. If you can tell me is carer's credit is a public fund or not... please do..lol.. because carer's credit decision makers do not know and government classifications don't specify... and for us now it seems too late to find out. We've been sitting with the money ready to pay for months just waiting to see if it was necessary. The extra month yesterday the system was showing probably would have been valuable as we're expecting an imminent decision.. they told us we'd likely get one last week but they've failed to call us on request... but right now just don't trust them or their system (which is saying today the deadline has passed for all top up years including recent years well within 6 years when yesterday it was saying 5 May 2025.. or later for more recent years!) or what we've been told. (We were never able to get through to the future pensions service over many weeks and had to pretend we had done in order to get payment details).

jem16

Looks like whoever has been reprogramming the system has made a right mess of it and only allowing people to go back 3 years instead of 6. 

molerat

QrizB said:

Honestly people you've had twelve years.

Waiting until the very last day of those twelve years, and knowing it falls on a Saturday when lots of bits of government have shut for the weekend, seems a bit reckless?

I agree with that point but the data shown is wholly inaccurate.  It is reflecting neither the pre or post change over situation.  It is showing years that will still be payable, albeit at a higher price, as no longer payable.  Yet more civil service incompetence.

molerat

The call back service registration has now closed.

And there is no access to the pension forecast or NI record until 11am 7th.

MikeyPGT

molerat said:

The call back service registration has now closed.

And there is no access to the pension forecast or NI record until 11am 7th.

I did look at mine yesterday - only two past years out of the four I have unfilled being shown and no access to payment online.  Wonder if they've had some DOGE tech wizards in to help reprogram!

MouldyOldDough

I am unable to view my state pension record on line

"Sorry, the service is unavailable You will be able to use the service on Monday 7 April 2025 at 11am."

That is not very good - at this time of year

molerat

MouldyOldDough said:

I am unable to view my state pension record on line

"Sorry, the service is unavailable You will be able to use the service on Monday 7 April 2025 at 11am."

That is not very good - at this time of year

Why ? What is so special about this time of year that you can't do without access to your forecast for less than 36 hours ?  It is the same every year, the system shuts down to update with the new data.

1957DfurdPensionist

Well, irrespective of whether some forumites think the plebs should pipe down / be better organised / know their place, who knows what the next revelation will be in this sorry saga of DWP systems management incompetence?

The message currently says "Sorry, the service is unavailable You will be able to use the service on Monday 7 April 2025 at 4pm.".. I wonder if that one will roll forward every five hours until they're ready?

molerat

The system is always down for the majority of the day first working day of the tax year, nothing unusual in that respect.