Why can't I pay for Voluntary NI contributions online? Option was there previously, now gone!

patrick194

Just logged into Government Gateway intending to pay online for one year's contributions only to find when I went through the brief questionnaire, I was directed to contact the Future Pension Centre.

I previously topped up in 2023 when Martin Lewis highlighted the issue.

I have 8 years until I reach pension age and the pension forecast says I need to make contributions for 8 more years. I will need to make voluntary contributions until I reach pension age.

I have 10 years unpaid gaps available to purchase online - 5 up to 2016 and 5 after 2016.

I checked my pension forecast before Christmas and was offered the option to top up online but wasn't in a position to do so then.

This time when I logged in and went through the process intending to pay online, the sytem directed me to contact the Future Pension Centre.

Has anyone else encountered this? Any thoughts on what it means? Hoping to avoid spending hours on the phone if not necessary.

QrizB

patrick194 said:

Has anyone else encountered this? Any thoughts on what it means?

It probably means you answered the questionnaire differently this time.

Try again?

molerat

QrizB said:

patrick194 said:

Has anyone else encountered this? Any thoughts on what it means?

It probably means you answered the questionnaire differently this time.

Try again?

IIRC that is the correct answer

Just hope it has a short memory span

patrick194

Yes - at first I thought that too. 

But no, I had a record of answers from before and didn't aswer differently.

ScratchyCat

Ive been looking at my record and just went through to pay for a missing year. Ive also been directed to the future pensions centre. It actually says on my record 'there are years on your ni record that have not been updated. This means you are unable to pay for gaps online.'

I have two other years showing as not full and when i click those years it tells me they are checking the record. Very strange as i did submit tax returns for those years. Maybe as there seems to be a query against these two years thats why i cant pay for the other one.

QrizB

ScratchyCat said:

I have two other years showing as not full and when i click those years it tells me they are checking the record. Very strange as i did submit tax returns for those years. Maybe as there seems to be a query against these two years thats why i cant pay for the other one.

See your separate thread for comments.