Marc Shoffman
HMRC has softened the deadline to fill any gaps in your National Insurance (NI) record since April 2006 and claim extra credits that could boost your state pension.
With the 5 April deadline looming, the tax department has said people will be able to claim as long as they log an online callback request by this date.
Thousands of people have already collectively paid millions of pounds to buy National Insurance credits, which tops up their state pension entitlement.
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With the clock ticking – and long wait times on the phone line – HMRC has announced that it will be possible to boost your state pension potentially months after the deadline. The caveat is that you must request a callback on the government website before 5 April.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will then phone you later to discuss payment of the voluntary NI contributions.
While under normal rules you can usually only fill gaps in NI contributions for the past six years, under a special concession, the government has let people also claim back to between April 2006 and April 2018. It means you could boost your state pension by thousands of pounds.
The allowance was meant to end in April 2023 but the DWP struggled to cope with demand and its phone lines became jammed so the deadline was extended to July 2023 and then again to 5 April 2025.
So, from 6 April 2025 - unless you log a callback request beforehand - you will only be able to make voluntary NI contributions for the previous six tax years.
Commenting on HMRC “softening the 5 April deadline”, Steve Webb, partner at pension consultants LCP and a former pensions minister, says: “After the chaos in the run-up to previous deadlines, it is good the government has planned ahead to make sure that people do not miss out simply because they cannot get through on official phone lines to discuss state pension top-ups.”
He adds that for many people a state pension top-up will be “excellent value, but it is useful to be able to discuss your options with someone who can see your NI record and in particular highlight if topping up some years would be of little or no value”.
Last year HMRC launched a digital service to let people buy extra NI credits, saving them the hassle of waiting on hold when phoning the DWP. However, not all situations are covered by the app, and some people will want to phone up instead.
The taxman said that more than 37,000 payments worth £35 million had been made through the service since its launch, while 3.7 million people have used the online checking tool on GOV.UK to view their state pension forecast.
About half of online users topped up one year of their NI record, HMRC says, with an average online payment of £1,835.
The largest weekly state pension increase by purchasing extra NI credits was £113.76.
Rosie Hooper, chartered financial planner at the wealth manager Quilter Cheviot, said: "The scale of uptake highlights the importance of this scheme, particularly given that from April 2025, individuals will only be able to backdate contributions by the usual six years.
"This means that many people who might otherwise miss out on thousands of pounds in state pension entitlement have only a short window left to take action."
How is HMRC “softening” the 5 April deadline?
The looming 5 April deadline has created a “high number of calls” to the DWP’s helpline, which is resulting in “long wait times”, according to the Future Pension Centre.
On 28 February, HMRC announced a new online feature for people who are unable to get through on the DWP’s phone line.
The online callback request form enables people to request a callback about paying voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in their state pension between 2006 and 2018. The form is available on the Contact the Future Pension Centre webpage.
The DWP will ring back to discuss payment of voluntary National Insurance contributions. This will normally be within eight weeks of submitting a request.
There is no need to make further contact with the DWP or HMRC.
HMRC says: “People who submit a request to DWP by the 5 April 2025 deadline will still be able to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions back to 6 April 2006, after the deadline has passed.
“When a person submits a request, a message will appear on their screen to confirm that their request has been sent to the DWP Pension Centre. We’d recommend saving a screenshot of the confirmation message.”
Webb said the announcement was a “surprise development”, adding: “Whilst it would be better if people could simply call ahead of the deadline and get through, at least there is now the reassurance that those who try to make contact before the deadline will still be able to make payments after the deadline has passed.”
Should you buy extra National Insurance credits for your state pension?
You need a minimum of 35 years of NI contributions to get the full new state pension payment.
That can be tricky if you have taken time off to care for children or elderly relatives or if you have taken a career break.
Purchasing NI credits can "buy extra years", boosting the amount of state pension you get.
After the 5 April 2025 deadline, you will only be allowed to claim back for six years of NI credits, so it may be worth filling any extra gaps in your record now.
Those wishing to pay for previous years are currently charged £15.85 per week or £824.20 to fill a full historic gap year.
This will typically add 1/35 of the full state pension rate or just over £300 per year.
Someone with 10 years to make up could pay just over £8,000 to receive an estimated additional £55,000 in pension income over a 20-year retirement, according to calculations by the wealth manager Quilter.
“For individuals with multiple gaps in their NI records, the potential long-term benefits are significant,” says Kirsty Anderson, retirement specialist at Quilter.
“Even topping up a single year would be recouped within a few years of retirement.”
Ross Lacey, director at Fairview Financial Management, adds: "In our experience, it's worth everyone looking at their projected state pension and if it seems unlikely that they'll have the maximum available, to do some analysis and enquire about topping up or paying for part years.
"Generally, it takes around three years of receiving your state pension to 'pay back' the amount it cost to buy the extra years."
Topping up is not going to work for everyone.
Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at the investment service Bestinvest, says plugging gaps can be quite an expensive process, so it is important to assess whether you actually need to buy back any missing years.
“This will depend on how many more years you plan to work and whether you are eligible for NI tax credits which fill the gaps, such as those who have been sick, were unemployed or took time out to raise a family or care for elderly relations,” she says.
How to top up your state pension
Before April 2023, the only way to purchase extra NI credits was by calling the Future Pension Centre at the DWP to find out about filling gaps and then phone HMRC to get a "code" to make sure their payment is correctly allocated.
Much of this can now be done online though.
You can use HMRC’s state pension forecast tool to see how much you are due based on your age and if there are any NI gaps you can fill.
You can also check your National Insurance record through your Personal Tax Account, or on the HMRC app, where you can take a survey to assess your suitability to pay online.
Haine adds: “Calculating whether to top up can be confusing though and ultimately there is no point paying for more years than you need because you won’t get that money back.
"This is why, for some people, calling the government’s Future Pension Service to double check how many years they can buy and whether voluntary contributions really will add to their state pension may be key."
How much is the state pension worth?
The full new state pension is worth £221.20 a week (£11,502 a year). This is paid to men who were born after 1951 and women born after 1953 who have at least 35 years of NI contributions.
In April, the state pension will rise by 4.1% to reach £230.30 a week (£11,975 a year), thanks to the triple lock.
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