A single year of contributions, do I qualify?

nwshear

I may be an extreme case, but my situation is as follows: In 1990, I paid tax for a year while working in London after graduating. I left to go to Hong Kong and have been working there ever since. Is it possible to top up my contributions so that I qualify for a state pension? I am also trying to contact someone at the DWP, but the lines are always busy to ask about the amount I would have to back pay. I've heard of amounts ranging from GBP 9,000 to GBP 15,000 for similar cases, but I've had no official confirmation.

molerat

Unlikely you would be eligible for the cheaper class 2 route - the International Pension Centre will be able to advise -  but class 3 would be available from 2019-20 onwards currently at between £907.40 and £923 per year increasing annually with CPI. You will need at least 10 years to receive any pension and I believe once in payment it will not receive the annual increase if you retire in Hong Kong. Have you received a pension forecast / NI record ? You may find you have more years than expected.

nwshear

Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this. Having misplaced my NI number, I put in a request to help find it, but that was Feb 2025, and still no answer. To be honest, my situation doesn't bode well for a positive outcome, but trying anyway.