National Insurance record - Do you have any gaps?

[Liquid_Entity]

I've paid 29 out of 30 years of NI already and I have a gap in my 2009/2010 contribution due to travelling but I'm 46 so still got loads of years to go to pay so won't bother paying in

2009 to 2010 - Year is not full - Pay a voluntary contribution of £824.20 by 5 April 2025. This shortfall may increase after 5 April 2025.

 

[dlockers]

I have 18 years already. No wonder I am so tired

 

[EvilRob]

I wonder why they don't increase the number of years required as they increase SPA. It's somewhat related to means testing. If you can afford to retire early, you also don't get the full state pension.

 

[jaybee]

How do you check? I'm on the government site but can't see where to go. It just says I need to check my p60s from employment.

EDIT found it

 

[Richie]

Those are likely the starter credits you get for the three years of 16-18, not because you were in full time education.

I wasn't aware of this starter thing... A day without learning is a day wasted :}

 

[Liquid_Entity]

How do you check? I'm on the government site but can't see where to go. It just says I need to check my p60s from employment.

Check your National Insurance record

Find out if you've paid enough National Insurance to qualify for the full State Pension - check gaps, contributions and credits, get a National Insurance statement, call the helpline.

www.gov.uk

 

[Puzzled]

I had a couple of gaps, one was only £30ish short so I rang them up and paid it. They weren't very keen for me to pay it though and asked me to get financial advice first.

I'm not fussed about the other gap as will easily be over the required years and it's not like you stop paying once you hit it.

 

[Freakbro]

I wonder why they don't increase the number of years required as they increase SPA. It's somewhat related to means testing. If you can afford to retire early, you also don't get the full state pension.

It has changed a few times over the years (up and down I believe) so it could potentially increase again in the future. The last time was in 2016, to 35 from 30, with the advent of the new state pension, as its officially called.

The number of qualifying years you need to have on your record differs depending on whether you are claiming:

• the new state pension – for those who reached or will reach state pension age on or after 6 April 2016. To get the full new state pension, you usually need 35 qualifying years.
• the basic state pension – for those who reached state pension age before 6 April 2016. The number of qualifying years you need varies between 30 and 44.

 

[jaybee]

Mine says "FULL YEAR" for every year since I was 16. Is that good?
EDIT: OK so it means by 51 I could get the 35 requirement which I guess is the earliest age one can do it?

 

[Semple]

I found a gap, but only need another 10 years to hit the magic 35. With 20+ years still to go until my official retirement age, it's not worth buying the year. Nice to see where I am though, so thanks for the heads up.

Yeah that's what's annoying about mine. My contributions started when I was 15 in a part time job - seems a full year of part time employment actually counts. I now have 18 years racked up, but won't reach retirement age for another 33 years giving me a total of 51 years contributions! . Should well be allowed to opt out of paying NI after 35 years.

 

[Semple]

I wonder why they don't increase the number of years required as they increase SPA. It's somewhat related to means testing. If you can afford to retire early, you also don't get the full state pension.

I'd prefer that, for us millennials 35 years should be very easy to get. For a 68 retirement there should be at least 40 years of contributions.

 

[That Jekka Gal]

Is yours up to date? Do you care?

I have one missed year from when I was 18 and had no idea what a national insurance stamp was (shout out public education system). I'm now trying to decide whether I should plug the gap for just under £450, or not.

As far as I can tell, it'll make no difference to anything, as I haven't missed a year since and don't intend to moving forward, which will see me easily pass the maximum number of payments for full state pension. On the other hand, I feel we're only one Labour-style policy change from this being a very poor decision.

Either way I need to make a decision within a few months as that's the cut off.

Anyone else in the same boat? Is there more to this than I realise?

I paid £800 to fill 2 gaps to bring me up to date.

My main worry is that I wouldn’t put it past this government (or any subsequent, for that matter) to stop the state pension being available for overseas residents.

Sounds crazy and unjust but, with the way things are these days, I wouldn’t put it past them.

 

[darkgen]

I paid £800 to fill 2 gaps to bring me up to date.

My main worry is that I wouldn’t put it past this government (or any subsequent, for that matter) to stop the state pension being available for overseas residents.

Sounds crazy and unjust but, with the way things are these days, I wouldn’t put it past them.

Dude or dudess. Give it twenties years and a) the state pension age will continue to increase beyond 68+ and b) it will be means tested. There is simply no other way for it to be financially viable.

 

[throwaway4372]

On your state pension summary it says how many more years you need to contribute to get the full state pension.

You may find that your years paid + years remaining is not 35, so you have to check it for yourself to see your number (mine is 32).

 

[darkgen]

Let's be honest here. It is somewhat irrelevant what qualifying years you may or may not have. Unless you are reaching state pension age in the next 10 years. The rules and eligibility are going to change over the longer term. I speak as someone who is less than 20 years away, paid all qualifying years and I fully expect nothing (I worked / saved / invested). Certain demographics will benefit, so be it. Please do not treat a national insurance payment as a pension investment if you're in your 20/30s.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I paid 8 years over full stamp but my wife had to pay one year to get full stamp.
My payment is £249 a week.

 

[Maundie]

Just checked and I’ve just completed 35 years, all full years with no gaps

 

[Varys]

I started work at 23 and shortly thereafter I was advised by a financial adviser to contract out of SERPS and put money into a personal pension. Since then I've had 3 years missed contributions. Do I need to do anything?

 

[Skynet5]

I started a job at school. I’m 45 now and checked this only a few years ago. It was nice to realised that my part time job started my contributions, including my year out at uni that spanned two tax years.

I’m almost at 30 years contributions already. My plan to retire at 55 just needs to avoid and severe bumps.

 

[EdGey]

On a side note, I recently discovered however that my partner has a lot of gaps and very few qualifying years (she is late 20s now) due to working a job with too little hours for a number of years, whilst living with parents (and studying for at least some of that time I think). It's somewhat annoying to be honest that had she just been someone who signed up for job seekers allowance she would have had qualifying years allocated perhaps... although not entirely sure on what the requirements exactly were back then.

My wife is in exactly this situation after she left work to raise our family. I suspect women on the whole are much worse off when it comes to retirement planning.

It has changed a few times over the years (up and down I believe) so it could potentially increase again in the future. The last time was in 2016, to 35 from 30, with the advent of the new state pension, as its officially called.

This is my main concern. If I choose not to plug the gap now while I have the chance, then they drastically increase the number of years required... well...