CF83 for expats now on line

Scotbot

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-pay-voluntary-national-insurance-contributions-when-abroad-cf83#ways-to-apply

I lived in Australia from 1997 to 2017 but am now back in the UK. Phoned the pensions forecast service and was told for the years overseas I needed to fill in a CF83


Completed the postal version in March 2023. Received a reply 49 weeks later asking me to fill in another form for class 2 contributions.Posted that but 6 weeks later no reply. Rang them to be told the clock restarts and the wait is now 57 weeks!

Was also told I could do it online now and it would take 10 days. So I  did. Received response 7 days later with a table detailing each missing year and the amount to pay.

Letter contained URL for payment details, if you have lived overseas you don't use the 18 digit reference even if you are now back in the UK. 

It's very confusing but hopefully I will be topped up  shortly 

Jambo51

Thank you for the information. 

I’m living in Australia and submitted online CF83 on 17 April 2024. When I receive a response I will provide an update so that fellow expats in AUS have an indicative timeline.

stillEuropean

Interesting. I filled out a CF83 online on 2 April, 2024 for having been an expat in Sweden after being told by HMRC it would take about two weeks to process. Still no word. They also sent me an acknowledgement saying I should check the gov.uk site for when I could expect to hear from them, but none of the available options on that site include paying Class 2 contributions. 

pinnks

I think HMRC was pointing you at the message section of your personal tax account, rather than the NI/pension section.

Jambo51

Jambo51 said:

Thank you for the information. 

I’m living in Australia and submitted online CF83 on 17 April 2024. When I receive a response I will provide an update so that fellow expats in AUS have an indicative timeline.

CF83 letter received today - 12 June. 

pinnks

Now it's time to figure out what you want to do with your piggybank...

Bighitter32

Just filled in the online version and awaiting a response….. Are turnaround times from the HMRC still a couple of weeks….. Hoping to sort this out well ahead of any 2025 deadlines.

if someone is willing to share, once the letter is recieved, is the payment and credit towards forecast process quick?

jem16

Bighitter32 said:

Just filled in the online version and awaiting a response….. Are turnaround times from the HMRC still a couple of weeks….. Hoping to sort this out well ahead of any 2025 deadlines.

if someone is willing to share, once the letter is recieved, is the payment and credit towards forecast process quick?

I would say it's more like 4 to 6 weeks for a reply.

Payment is straightforward as you're making it but at the moment they're talking about at least 31 weeks till the NI Record is updated which needs to happen before the forecast updates. As long as payment is made before the deadline it shouldn't matter.

Bighitter32

Thank you for the response.

Jambo51

jem16 said

Payment is straightforward as you're making it but at the moment they're talking about at least 31 weeks till the NI Record is updated which needs to happen before the forecast updates. As long as payment is made before the deadline it shouldn't matter.

A quick update about my experience paying [from Australia] for additional years after going through the CF83 process and contacting the Future Pension Centre to verify value adding years.

I paid for the additional years on 17 June 2024 via my Australian bank account to HMRC NIC Receipts, Barclays Bank with appropriate reference as per HMRC guidance.

Current situation
No update to my NI record yet after 50+ weeks.

PS
Is there a number to phone to nudge the NI record updating process along, or is that wishful thinking?

jem16

Jambo51 said:

jem16 said

Payment is straightforward as you're making it but at the moment they're talking about at least 31 weeks till the NI Record is updated which needs to happen before the forecast updates. As long as payment is made before the deadline it shouldn't matter.

A quick update about my experience paying [from Australia] for additional years after going through the CF83 process and contacting the Future Pension Centre to verify value adding years.

I paid for the additional years on 17 June 2024 via my Australian bank account to HMRC NIC Receipts, Barclays Bank with appropriate reference as per HMRC guidance.

Current situation
No update to my NI record yet after 50+ weeks.

PS
Is there a number to phone to nudge the NI record updating process along, or is that wishful thinking?

Probably wishful thinking but you never know.

My son and daughter-in-law paid their voluntary contributions back in September 2024. Just after the new tax year began it became apparent that part of their payment had been automatically allocated to 2024/25 even though it wasn't meant to include that tax year.

They use the HMRC Digital Assistant and managed to get someone to unallocate 2024/25 and then to allocate the payment to the correct tax years. This can only be done by agents trained to do so and not all agents on the Digital Assistant can do it - or will do it.

They have since received their bills to pay 2024/25 and have now done so. We shall see how long that takes but if it happens automatically at the start of the next tax year it won't be an issue.

So you can always try.