Thousands have been given more time to boost their state pension after the Government announced it has “softened” the national insurance (NI) gap-filling deadline.
A last-minute rule change means that anyone struggling to get through on jammed phone lines before the 5 April deadline can now request a callback – and still make payments after the cut off.
Currently, people can fill gaps in their NI record going back to 2006/7, far beyond the usual six-year limit.
This special concession was meant to end in April 2023 but was twice extended – to July 2023 and then a further time to April 2025 – due to overwhelming demand.
Now, with phone lines once again under pressure, ministers have introduced a new system to stop people missing out.
Instead of risking hours on hold, people can now submit an online “call me back” request through the Future Pension Centre for those under the state pension age of 66 or the Pension Service for those already drawing a pension.
As long as they do this before the deadline, they will still be able to make voluntary NI payments after 5 April.
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The DWP says it will return calls within eight weeks.
It said: “This will enable people to request a call back about paying voluntary national insurance contributions to fill gaps in state pension entitlement between 2006 and 2018.
“DWP will call 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 DWP or HMRC.
“People who submit a request to DWP by 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.”
Why this matters
For many, filling NI gaps could mean a bigger state pension in retirement. But deciding whether to top-up – and which years to pay for – can be tricky.
Costs vary depending on past contributions, and not all missing years will actually boost someone’s pension.
Former pensions minister and partner at LCP, Sir Steve Webb, welcomed the move.
He said: “After the chaos in the run-up to previous deadlines, it is good that the Government has planned ahead to make sure that people do not miss out simply because they cannot get through on official phonelines to discuss state pension top-ups.
“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.
“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.”
How to check your state pension forecast
The quickest and easiest way for people to check a state pension forecast and find out if they can benefit from paying to fill NI gaps is by checking their NI record on GOV.UK or in the HMRC app.
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