Cost of living correspondent
A looming deadline for people to plug gaps in their National Insurance record, to ensure they get the full state pension, has been softened.
Concerns over a rush of last-minute enquiries mean anyone who requests a call back from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on the issue will not be regarded as having missed the 5 April deadline.
People can currently make voluntary extra contributions to plug National Insurance gaps back to 2006.
But, after April’s deadline, this will be limited to the previous six years only.
Some people may have spaces in their National Insurance record if, for example, they have lived abroad or taken time off for caring responsibilities.
In general, people need 35 years of qualifying contributions to get the full state pension.
Top-ups have been permitted, as part of the transition to the flat-rate state pension, which was introduced in 2016.
Currently, these can go back for nearly 20 years, but are due to return to the normal six years after April.
Complications
Pensions experts say that extra contributions may not suit every individual in these circumstances, so it is important to check whether it is worthwhile for their finances.
There is complexity about when and whether to top-up, which has meant many people have called the DWP’s Future Pension Centre or Pension Service to discuss their options.
Worries about the clogged phonelines mean two earlier deadlines were extended.
Although this April’s deadline still stands, there will now be some leeway for anyone who struggles to get through on the phone.
Anyone who is unable to make contact with the DWP ahead of the deadline can use an online call-back request form.
People who submit a call-back request by the 5 April deadline will still be able to pay voluntary National Insurance Contributions back to April 2006, after the deadline has passed.
Anyone in this position should save a screenshot of their call-back confirmation message. A return call should come within eight weeks.
Checking service
A spokesman for the DWP said an online tool would mean that people would be able to make top-up payments after the 5 April deadline, provided they complete the call-back request form ahead of that date.
“This will enable us to ensure no one misses out, and to suitably manage demand as the deadline approaches,” he said.
Steve Webb, partner at consultants LCP and a former pensions minister, 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.”
Anyone can look at their National Insurance record and obtain a state pension forecast without charge to decide if making a voluntary contribution is a good decision for them.
People should also be alert to scams, from unsolicited messages relating to the issue, in the run-up to the deadline.