Top up pre 2016

cfcsccc

I have a pension that needs topping up and have a few years that are cheaper than the max. The gov website does not offer these and when ringing the helpline was told you can only top up one year prior to 2016. I thought you could take any year back to 2006 until this April. I can find no info that backs up only one year pre 2016 - any guidance please

p00hsticks

You can top up all years from 2006, but if the 'helpline' you called was the Future Pension Service it may be that they were saying that only one pre-2016 year would actually increase your Pension amount. 

If you post up the details of your State Pension Forecast and where the gaps are people on this board will be able to confirm or deny that. 

Just because a year is available to be filled doesn't necessarily mean that it will increase your state pension. 

molerat

You can top up any year back to 2006-07 ...... but whether those years will actually add to your pension is a whole other subject.

If you post up the below anonymous information someone will talk you through it

Current weekly £££.pp amount accrued up to April 2024.
Number of full NI years 15-16 and earlier
Number of full NI years 16-17 and later
Tax year you reach state retirement
Any COPE amount.  If you have "You've been in a contracted-out pension scheme" on your forecast then click
here https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/check-your-state-pension/account/cope whilst logged into your tax account
Years which show not full and prices

cfcsccc

Current Pension forecast £195.49
Full NI pre 2016 - 34
After nil
This April 25 pension age
13 years not full inc 06/07 09/1010/11and 13/14 to date

molerat

Any COPE amount ?  If you have "You've been in a contracted-out pension scheme" on your forecast then click

here https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/check-your-state-pension/account/cope whilst logged into your tax account

p00hsticks

cfcsccc said:

Current Pension forecast £195.49
Full NI pre 2016 - 34
After nil
This April 25 pension age
13 years not full inc 06/07 09/1010/11and 13/14 to date

So as you already have 34 pre-2016 years full, only one more at most pre-2016 one would increase your pension (even if more are available). And even that would depend on the specifics, so if in doubt you'd be better off purchasing the ones from 2016 and later 

From my calculation four more post-2016 years would increase your forecast  to £220.77 - a fifth year would only add the final 43 pence up to the maximum £221.20, so not worth doing. 

Have you already applied to claim your State Pension from April ?
If not, I'd say make filling up those years a priority if you want to so that they are filled when they come to process your claim, as my understanding is that once over State Pension Age and claiming SPA purchasing extra years then requires a number of recalculations from DWP and makes the process far more long-winded.... 

And is your SPA date before or after the end of the tax year ? If 5th April or before then any contributions made for 2024-25 will not count. 

molerat

I ran the numbers and to make that 35th pre 2016 year viable they must have a COPE of between £13.56 and £18.09.  At £13.56 that gives the full £6.32 but every penny above that reduces the payback.