The government is making it easier for customers to check for and fill any gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record to help increase their State Pension. To assist this, they launched a new digital service on 29 April 2024.
This is a service that has been provided by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and is called “Check your State Pension”.
The service will show customers details of the voluntary NI contributions they may need to pay, and how much their State Pension could increase by if there are gaps in their national insurance record.
It is worth noting that paying voluntary contributions will not always increase your State Pension, but everyone can use the new service to check whether they could be better off in retirement before making any voluntary NI payments.
If you are someone who has NI gaps in some tax years, you can use the new digital service to choose which years they would like to pay to fill. Payment can be made securely through the service and will receive confirmation of payment and that your NI record will be updated.
Customers can access the Check Your State Pension forecast via GOV.UK or via the HMRC app.
For those who have gaps in their NI record between 6 April 2006 and 5 April 2018, if they are eligible, they have until 5 April 2025 to pay voluntary contributions. From 6 April 2025, people will only be able to pay voluntary contributions for the previous 6 tax years, in line with normal time limits.
