Some state pensioners could miss out on their full state pension amount from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Review your National Insurance record to discover whether you have any gaps(Image: SeizaVisuals via Getty Images)
HMRC has issued a warning that some state pensioners may not receive their “full” state pension amounts from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) due to gaps in their National Insurance record. This was highlighted through a Twitter/X exchange where a taxpayer expressed concern about receiving a lower monthly pension.
The Person stated: “I have checked my Government pension and I found out that I have a lower monthly pension,” and queried, “It looks like I was paying a lower rate of income tax for six years as self-employed which was between permanent employment. I’m 63 and I have worked all my life, can I get full pension?”.
In response, HMRC explained: “You usually need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions to get the full amount.”
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HMRC has issued a warning that some state pensioners may not receive their “full” state pension(Image: izusek via Getty Images)
They advised the taxpayer to check their NI history to see how many qualifying years they had, reports Birmingham Live.
When the taxpayer revealed they had over 45 years of contributions but had paid less during six years of self-employment, they asked: “Is there any way I can top those six years up?”.
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To this, HMRC responded: “You’d need to contact the Future Pension Centre for an adviser to confirm. If they check your record and then confirm it’s worth your while to make a top-up for those years, we can then advise on the next steps.”
You cannot pay voluntary contributions if you do not have gaps in your National Insurance record – unless you’re getting Class 3 credits and are eligible to pay Class 2 contributions, are a married woman or widow paying reduced rate National Insurance or have passed the deadline for paying contributions for the period that has gaps.
Review your National Insurance record to discover whether you have any gaps and what the cost would be to pay voluntary contributions. You can also verify whether you’ll gain from paying voluntary contributions or if you can pay online.
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If you have gaps in your National Insurance record, check if you’re eligible for National Insurance credits before deciding to pay voluntary contributions. Get in touch with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if you believe your National Insurance record is incorrect.