Wife's NIC record and future State Pension

TrickyDicky101

My wife is due to receive her SP (under current rules) in 2047.

She has:

• 21 Full years from 1994/95 year up to 2015/16 year
• 6 Full years from 2016/17 year to 2021/22 year
• She has paid voluntary Class 3 NIC for full year entitlement for years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 (paid today so not reflected by HMRC yet)
• Her estimate based on her NIC record up to 5 April 2025 is £204.51 a week per HMRC (which omits the above Class 3 voluntary payments). Following the voluntary payments the SP forecast rises to £225.19 a week

Per HMRC her max SP forecast (once further full year contributions have been made) is £241.30 per week.

Given the full years she has just contributed increased her weekly pension by £6.90 am I correct to assume that she will need a further 3 full years of contributions to max out the SP she will receive in 2047?

My wife is not in paid employment and is unlikely to return to paid employment before SP age. This is a choice and not because she is physically or mentally unable to.

Many thanks for any replies.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

Three years looks correct. Albeit the third year will be less benefit than the first two given she cannot exceed the standard limit.

But that benefit will increase by the triple lock each year for the foreseeable future.

TrickyDicky101

Thank you - yes a further two years of voluntary contributions is a no-brainer. The third year will need consideration - and there is plenty of time to make that decision (assuming I remain in paid employment of course and thus can afford the voluntary cont. for her).

molerat

Stand alone the final year adds £2.32 which will repay gross in 412 weeks. But she is not only buying that year and as part of the bigger picture will only add a few extra weeks to the total payback time.