Update: Deadline for voluntary National Insurance contributions extended to April 2025
07/07/23
Have you topped up your National Insurance record yet? Until recently, the deadline for making voluntary contributions dating back to April 2006 was 31st July 2023. But don’t worry – this has now been extended to 5th April 2025.
The new deadline has been set to give taxpayers more time to make an informed decision about whether making voluntary contributions is right for them. If you are hoping to claim the full UK state pension when you retire, you typically need 35 qualifying years of NI contributions. However, to be eligible for any state pension at all, your NI record will need to show at least 10 years of qualifying contributions.
Whether you’re approaching retirement age or not, you may still benefit from the deadline extension if you are:
- employed but with low earnings
- unemployed and not claiming benefits
- self-employed who did not pay contributions because of small profits
- living or working outside of the UK.
Although you now have some extra time to spare, we advise taking action at your first convenience to avoid missing the new deadline. All voluntary NI contributions for the earlier periods from 6 April 2006 (if eligible) to 5 April 2023 will still be accepted at the rates applicable for tax year 2022-23 until the deadline of 5th April 2025.
This handy checklist from ICAEW will help you to identify any gaps in your NI record:
- Check your NI record on the government website (using your Personal Tax Account login details)
- Identify any discrepancies between NI contributions paid and those showing on HMRC’s system
- Identify any NI credits that are missing from periods in which they should have been received (eg, if you have received universal credit or child benefit)
- Identify any shortfalls in contributions
- Contact HMRC if you think there may be any errors
- Decide if you want to make voluntary NI contributions.
The above is general advice concerning National Insurance contributions and state pensions. If you have any queries about this topic, please contact Jill Springbett at jill.springbett@mgr.co.uk.
Warning: The above is merely general guidance and should not be relied upon as formal advice. The advice we give to each client will depend on their specific circumstances. We suggest you take professional advice before taking any action in relation to the issues discussed above.
