HMRC: Answer to my application to pay Class 2 contributions to buy NI gap is after April's deadline!

homebysea

Hi MoneySaving Forumers,

After reading MSE's pensions-and-retirement pension-wise article (Thank you!), I intend to decide if it is worth filling the gaps in my National Insurance record.

In order to do so, I applied to HMRC to pay voluntary Class 2 contributions - as the gaps represent the period whilst I was self-employed/living abroad with annual profits less than £6,725.

However, HMRC calculates to expect their answer after the April deadline!

Does that mean I will be able to pay for that period (2011 - 2017), in other words, will they wave the deadline as I contacted them before?

molerat

Does that mean I will be able to pay for that period (2011 - 2017), in other words, will they wave the deadline as I contacted them before?

Yes ....................

homebysea

molerat said:

Does that mean I will be able to pay for that period (2011 - 2017), in other words, will they wave the deadline as I contacted them before?

Yes ....................

Any advice as to where to query the fact that I have not received the letter with their answer to my application? Their email says they responded on May 3rd, however, my postal address is Colombia, and international post normally takes a couple of weeks, but not three...

Suhusa

They may not send the letter direct but via the postal service from another country which can add some more time till it reaches you. For example I get their letters (to Germany) from a (or the?) Dutch postal service.

1957DfurdPensionist

Yes The Schiedam (near Rotterdam) outfit that HMG uses for our snail mail (no emails authorised because HMG don't know how) started life as a joint venture between Royal Mail and PostNL which latter was still the Australian TNT then I believe. Singapore Post may have also been part of the JV originally.  This postal services (sic) provider was known as Spring Global for a bit but that name may have clashed with another entity. Now it is Spring GDS - Global.  Anyhow, the latest iteration Spring GDS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Post NL. Post NL is 100% privatised based at the Hague, NL, and at least 30% owned by some Czech "sphinx" named Daniel Kretinsky (whatever that means) and/or his chosen vehicle "Vesa EP 1" (EP Group) and Trustpilot rating of Spring GDS is 1.4 as I type this: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.springia -gds.com

Spring GDS website unashamedly claims the niche "A low-cost solution for printed material when delivery times are not critical." So whatever you do, if waiting for an HMG snail mail via them, DO NOT hold your breath.

Why HMG support such outfits is anyone's guess.  I guess they forgot that Royal Mail has had no interest since 2014.