State pensioners born before 1959 need 35 years of National Insurance credits under their belt to claim the full, new state pension, it has been warned.
A state pension deadline has been issued – over a date “fast approaching”. State pensioners born before 1959 need 35 years of National Insurance credits under their belt to claim the full, new state pension, it has been warned.
Experts have warned those who are approaching retirement to boost their entitlement by filling gaps in their National Insurance records dating back to 2006. The deadline to claim backdated National Insurance contributions (NICs) falls on April 5, 2025 – just over a month away.
After this date, individuals will only be able to make voluntary contributions for the past six years of National Insurance credits. The cost of purchasing National Insurance credits for those who are employed is £17.45 per week. This equates to £907.40 to fill a gap for a full year in your record.
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Each complete year of National Insurance purchased will provide up to £6.32 more per week in State Pension. This amounts to an additional £328.64 annually, before any yearly increases are applied. Jonathan Watts-Lay, the director at WEALTH at work, said: “With the April 5 deadline fast approaching, it is important for those who think they may have not built enough entitlement to receive the full state pension to check their records now.”
Watts-Lay said: “Those who have a gap of more than six years in National Insurance contributions, which may include those who have taken a career break, have worked abroad or had time off for child or elderly care, may want to consider filling these gaps in their record now.”
An online tool launched earlier this year to make the process of checking and buying NI contributions easier. Since launching, HMRC says 10,000 top-ups have been paid for using the online tool, with the largest resulting weekly state pension increase being £107.44 (equivalent to around £5,600 a year).