Overpaid National Insurance Contributions

MCGOLF

I am 63 years old and I have paid 46 years of National Insurance Contributions through both employment and self employment. Do I need to continue paying my self employed contributions and can I claim back any overpayment. As I understand that I am fully paid up at 35 years and if I claimed any back would it affect my pension?

penners324

Yes, carry on paying and no you can't claim back.

NI is a tax

Ayr_Rage

At your age the 35 year rule does not apply.

Depending on whether you have been in other pension schemes and if they were contracted out you could need many more years.

I have just reached SPA and needed 48 years.

Register for a Government Gateway account and check your pension forecast there, however you'll never get a NI refund, it doesn't happen.

Sarahspangles

MCGOLF said:

I am 63 years old and I have paid 46 years of National Insurance Contributions through both employment and self employment. Do I need to continue paying my self employed contributions and can I claim back any overpayment. As I understand that I am fully paid up at 35 years and if I claimed any back would it affect my pension?

Thirty five years only applies to people whose working lives started since 2016.

If you access your HMRC account (website or app) and go to State Pension Summary it will confirm whether or not you qualify for the full New State Pension. After 46 years you probably do, but occasionally people who have been contracted out for their full working life need more.

The magic words you are looking for are:

You cannot improve your forecast any more.

If you’re working you may still need to pay National Insurance contributions until [Date at which you can claim State Pension] as they fund other state benefits and the NHS.