Do I need to pay all NI missing years for full state pension?

SnowMan

swift57 said:

Many thanks for this excellent explanation; I hope I have understood it correctly. 

Looking at your figures, in addition to buying the suggested 7 essential missing years, it would make financial sense for me to buy some extra missing years (between 2019/202 – 2022/2023).  If I’m going to buy them anyway, I may as well buy them now - before they rise in price to £921.96 after the 05 April 2025 ‘initial deadline’.

I could then pay the remaining contributions annually to ensure I have 32 full years by the time I retire in 2031. 

Once you've bought the essential 7 years, then your logic for buying 2019/2020 to 2022/2023 now also before the price goes up makes complete sense.

Of course I would echo what molerat says that it's your call and only with the benefit of hindsight will you know if that's the right decision.

As molerat spotted my table did contain an error and it should be £17.75pw (£923 for full year) not £17.73pw (£921.96 for full year) class 3 for 2025/2026.