TIME is running out for workers to boost their state pension by tens of thousands of pounds over retirement.
If you don’t act before April 5, you could lose the chance to top up your National Insurance (NI) record.
That’s the deadline for topping up gaps in your record to max your state pension.
If you miss it, you could be stuck with a lower payout for life.
You need 35 NI years to get the full new state pension, worth £221.20 a week or over £11,502 a year, and ten years to get anything at all.
This year is the last chance to fill any gaps in your record going back to 2006.
From April 6, you’ll only be able to buy back the last six tax years.
How much you could get
Boosting your record costs different amounts depending on the year you top up.
The rate is usually around £824 for each missing year, adding £328 a year to your pension.
This boost lasts for life, so you could quickly make back what you spend.
If you buy five years of missing contributions, paying around £4,100 in total, you'll get an extra £1,640 every year for life.
Over 10 years in retirement, you'll have pocketed an extra £16,400.
Over 15 years you’ve bagged £24,600 extra cash, according to investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown.
Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Topping up your state pension can be a cost-effective way of boosting your retirement income.
“But before you do, check that you’ll actually benefit.”
Who needs to act?
Anyone who has had career breaks, worked abroad, been self-employed, or spent years in low-paid jobs may have gaps in their NI record.
Even if you’ve already started claiming your state pension, you could still top it up, so it’s worth checking before the deadline. But check if it’s worth doing.
Morrissey said: “If you qualified for benefits such as Jobseeker’s Allowance or Child Benefit, you may be able to backdate a claim.
“These benefits come with NI credits, so you could fill the gaps for free.”
You can find out who’s eligible for these credits at www.gov.uk/national-insurance-credits/eligibility.
Parents who opted out of Child Benefit due to the High Income Child Benefit charge should also check if they qualify for free NI credits.
From April 2026, the government will automatically give NI credits to parents who stopped claiming child benefit but didn’t know they were missing out on pension-boosting credits.
Steve Webb, former Pensions Minister and partner at LCP, warned: “Parents thinking of paying voluntary NI contributions before the April 5 deadline might need to think again, as they risk wasting their money.”
Paying for missing years
The first step is to check your state pension forecast. You can do this easily online using the government’s “Check your State Pension”; tool at www.gov.uk/check-state-pension.
You can also use the free HMRC app. To access your forecast, log in with your Personal Tax Account details.
If you don’t have an account, register on the government’s website.
This’ll show which missing years you can buy back and how much you could get.
You can then pay for these online without needing to call anyone.
If you’re under state pension age and need advice, call the Future Pension Centre on 0800 731 0175.
If you’re already receiving your State Pension, you can’t use the online service.
Instead, you’ll need to contact the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469.
However, phone lines are under pressure as the deadline looms.
If you want to top up your NI record, make sure to request a callback by April 5 to fill gaps back to 2006.
Tom Selby, public policy director at AJ Bell, said: “As long as you request a call back by the April 5 deadline, the government will honour any requests to fill gaps from 2006 onwards.”
Other ways to boost your state pension
Claim NI credits
If you’re a parent getting Child Benefit for a child under 12, you automatically get NI credits.
But if you’re a grandparent looking after a child so the parent can go back to work, the parent can sign a form to pass the credits to you.
Go to gov.uk/national-insurance-credits/eligibility to find out more.
Delay your state pension
If you don’t need your pension straight away, delaying it could mean a bigger payout later.
For every nine weeks you delay, your pension increases by 1%. That’s a boost of 5.8% more per year.
Someone delaying for a full year would get an extra £12.82 per week for life. But this only works if you can afford to wait, said Selby.
“For others it might depend on your health and lifestyle. But if you’re in good health then it’s worth considering.”
Claim pension credit
Hundreds of thousands of pensioners aren’t claiming Pension Credit, missing out on an average £3,900 a year.
If your income is less than £190 a week, check if you qualify at gov.uk/pension-credit/eligibility.
Pension Credit also unlocks other benefits, such as a free TV licence (if you’re over 75) and a council tax reduction.
What are the different types of pensions?
WE round-up the main types of pension and how they differ:
- Personal pension or self-invested personal pension (SIPP)– This is probably the most flexible type of pension as you can choose your own provider and how much you invest.
- Workplace pension– The Government has made it compulsory for employers to automatically enrol you in your workplace pension unless you opt out.
These so-called defined contribution (DC) pensions are usually chosen by your employer and you won't be able to change it. Minimum contributions are 8%, with employees paying 5% (1% in tax relief) and employers contributing 3%. - Final salary pension – This is also a workplace pension but here, what you get in retirement is decided based on your salary, and you'll be paid a set amount each year upon retiring. It's often referred to as a gold-plated pension or a defined benefit (DB) pension. But they're not typically offered by employers anymore.
- New state pension – This is what the state pays to those who reach state pension age after April 6 2016. The maximum payout is £203.85 a week and you'll need 35 years of National Insurance contributions to get this. You also need at least ten years' worth to qualify for anything at all.
- Basic state pension – If you reach the state pension age on or before April 2016, you'll get the basic state pension. The full amount is £156.20 per week and you'll need 30 years of National Insurance contributions to get this. If you have the basic state pension you may also get a top-up from what's known as the additional or second state pension. Those who have built up National Insurance contributions under both the basic and new state pensions will get a combination of both schemes.
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