Is there an age limit for paying voluntary NI contributions please?

MarcusHutch

Hello folks,
First post here :-)

Situation: my wife is 66 and has written to the pensions peeps asking for her pension (SP) to be paid & to be able to pay voluntary NI contributions. No SP received yet. 
But... they wrote that she cannot pay voluntary NI contributions. [Presumably as she has now reached retirement age?]

I am 65 and have also asked to pay voluntary NI contributions.
I have been told that I can do so.

Reading through this helpful forum, I am confused as it seems that, even after reaching retirement age (66), one can indeed pay voluntary NI contributions. Has the HMRC/DWP person responding to my wife therefore incorrectly interpreted the law / regulations please?

Many thanks.

TadleyBaggie

My wife bought two years after she had started getting her state pension at 66.

MarcusHutch

TadleyBaggie said:

My wife bought two years after she had started getting her state pension at 66.

Oh wow-that's interesting! So I wonder why on earth HMRC said she couldn't top up as she has reached pension age?!

molerat

You most certainly can pay voluntary contributions after reaching retirement but with 2 caveats - there are actually gap years and those gap years are viable and will add to the pension amount.

Which years does her NI record show as being available to fill ?

p00hsticks

MarcusHutch said:

But... they wrote that she cannot pay voluntary NI contributions. [Presumably as she has now reached retirement age?]

It won't be because she has reached state Pension Age - as TadleyBaggie says, there is no age limit to paying voluntary contributions. However, there is a limit to the number of years you can currently buy - currently from 2006-2007 up until the tax year before your reach State Pension Age. And not all of those years will necessarily result in an increased State Pension Amount - it wil ldepend on the individuals record.

So I think it more likely that DWP / the Pension Service are saying that she has no gaps in her NI record available  to be purchased (or possibly that she has but that they would not result in an increased State Pension).  

Sea_Shell

TadleyBaggie said:

My wife bought two years after she had started getting her state pension at 66.

So you can also top up once you've started receiving SP,  not just after reaching the age.

You don't have to have deferred claiming?

MarcusHutch

molerat said:

You most certainly can pay voluntary contributions after reaching retirement but with 2 caveats - there are actually gap years and those gap years are viable and will add to the pension amount.

Which years does her NI record show as being available to fill ?

Thanks. There are gap years (can't recall how many - we wrote to them 9 months ago!) & her current forecast is less than the full SP.

MarcusHutch

p00hsticks said:

MarcusHutch said:

But... they wrote that she cannot pay voluntary NI contributions. [Presumably as she has now reached retirement age?]

It won't be because she has reached state Pension Age - as TadleyBaggie says, there is no age limit to paying voluntary contributions. However, there is a limit to the number of years you can buy - currently from 2006-2007 up until the tax year before your reach State Pension Age. And not all of those years will necessarily result in an increased State Pension Amount - it wil ldepend on the individuals record.

So I think it more likely that DWP / the Pension Service are probably saying that she has no gaps in her NI record available  to be purchased (or possibly that she has but that they would not result in an increased State Pension).  

Thanks. There are gap years (can't recall how many - we wrote to them 9 months ago!) & her current forecast is less than the full SP, which implies (to me at least) that paying voluntary NI contributions *should* increase her SP. .

p00hsticks

MarcusHutch said:

p00hsticks said:

MarcusHutch said:

But... they wrote that she cannot pay voluntary NI contributions. [Presumably as she has now reached retirement age?]

It won't be because she has reached state Pension Age - as TadleyBaggie says, there is no age limit to paying voluntary contributions. However, there is a limit to the number of years you can buy - currently from 2006-2007 up until the tax year before your reach State Pension Age. And not all of those years will necessarily result in an increased State Pension Amount - it wil ldepend on the individuals record.

So I think it more likely that DWP / the Pension Service are probably saying that she has no gaps in her NI record available  to be purchased (or possibly that she has but that they would not result in an increased State Pension).  

Thanks. There are gap years (can't recall how many - we wrote to them 9 months ago!) & her current forecast is less than the full SP, which implies (to me at least) that paying voluntary NI contributions *should* increase her SP. .

Unforrtunately as she is past SPA she will no longer be able to access her Pension Forecast, but if you post up her what NI years she has full, where the gaps are and what she is currently receiving someone should be able to which years, if any, are worth buying. 

MarcusHutch

Just checked & my wife has 28 years of full contributions, 2 years to contribute before the deadline (April 2025?) & 20 years when she did not contribute enough. 
Hope that helps folks to understand her position better. Thank you!

MarcusHutch

p00hsticks said:

MarcusHutch said:

p00hsticks said:

MarcusHutch said:

But... they wrote that she cannot pay voluntary NI contributions. [Presumably as she has now reached retirement age?]

It won't be because she has reached state Pension Age - as TadleyBaggie says, there is no age limit to paying voluntary contributions. However, there is a limit to the number of years you can buy - currently from 2006-2007 up until the tax year before your reach State Pension Age. And not all of those years will necessarily result in an increased State Pension Amount - it wil ldepend on the individuals record.

So I think it more likely that DWP / the Pension Service are probably saying that she has no gaps in her NI record available  to be purchased (or possibly that she has but that they would not result in an increased State Pension).  

Thanks. There are gap years (can't recall how many - we wrote to them 9 months ago!) & her current forecast is less than the full SP, which implies (to me at least) that paying voluntary NI contributions *should* increase her SP. .

Unforrtunately as she is past SPA she will no longer be able to access her Pension Forecast, but if you post up her what NI years she has full, where the gaps are and what she is currently receiving someone should be able to which years, if any, are worth buying. 

Thanks for that. We saved her pension forecast. 
My wife has 28 years of full contributions, 2 years to contribute before the deadline (April 2025?) & 20 years when she did not contribute enough. 
She hasn't received any pension payment yet.