There’s an important deadline coming up for boosting your State Pension payments.

You have until 5th April 2025 to pay extra National Insurance (NI) to fill gaps in your record from 2006 to 2018. After that, you can only fill gaps from the last 6 years.

Having gaps in your NI record matters because you need 35 years of contributions to get the full State Pension. If you have missing years, you’ll get less money when you retire.

Why is this important?

The State Pension is a big part of most people’s retirement income. Getting the maximum amount can make a real difference to your lifestyle in retirement.

You can pay extra NI contributions now to fill in missing years. This affects how much pension you’ll get later.

Without 35 years of contributions, you’ll get less money. For example, from April 2025:

• Full pension: £11,973 per year
• Each missing year reduces your pension by £342
• With only 20 years of contributions, you’d get just £6,842 per year

Here’s the good news: paying £907 now for one missing year gives you £342 extra pension every year. You’ll get your money back in just 3 years, and over 20 years, you could get an extra £6,842.

When’s the deadline?

You need to act soon. You can currently fill gaps from 2006 to 2018, but this offer ends on 5th April 2025.

After that date, you can only fill gaps from the last 6 tax years.

If you can’t get through on the phone, don’t worry. Use the online callback form before 5th April, and save a screenshot as proof.

How much can you boost your pension?

Filling gaps can be great value for money:

• Pay £907 now to get £342 extra pension each year
• Self-employed? Even better – you only pay £179 per year
• If you fill in 18 years of gaps (the maximum), you could get £6,158 extra pension every year

Plus, your State Pension goes up with inflation each year, so you’ll actually get even more over time.

Why might you have gaps?

Common reasons for gaps in your NI record include:

• Taking time off work without claiming benefits
• Not earning enough to pay National Insurance
• Being self-employed with low profits
• Working or living abroad

Is it right for you?

Paying extra isn’t always the best choice. It depends on:

• How long until you retire
• Whether you can still reach 35 years naturally
• Your current financial situation

If retirement is many years away, you might reach 35 years of contributions without paying extra.

You can check your position on the government’s “Check your State Pension forecast” website.

Remember, you might be able to get free NI credits if you:

• Get Child Benefit for children under 12
• Receive Carer’s Allowance
• Get certain benefits like Job Seeker’s Allowance

Who can’t make extra payments?

You can’t pay extra NI if:

• You’re a man born before 5th April 1951 or a woman born before 5th April 1953
• You were in a ‘contracted out’ pension scheme during those years
• You paid reduced rate NI as a married woman or widow
• You haven’t lived in the UK for at least 3 years or paid 3 years of NI

Not sure what’s best? Check your National Insurance record.