Six months left to top up your state pension: how to make voluntary contributions

Time is running out for savers to fill historic gaps in their National Insurance record and boost their state pension.

Earlier this year, the government launched a tool enabling people to pay to fill in gaps online. So far, more than 10,000 payments totalling £12.5m have been processed.    

Here, we outline the cost of topping up, whether it’s worthwhile, and three additional ways you could increase your retirement savings.

Six months left to buy extra years

Under the normal rules, it’s only possible to fill gaps in your National Insurance (NI) record for the past six years, with each year's deadline being on 5 April. You can do this by buying voluntary Class 3 National Insurance Contributions (NICs). 

After six years, the gap becomes permanent, and could affect how much state pension you're entitled to. 

In 2014, the government temporarily allowed gaps from 2006-07 onwards to be filled for those transitioning to the new state pension system. 

To receive any state pension under the new system, you need at least 10 qualifying years of NICs, and 35 years to get the full amount.

Due to high demand, the government extended the deadline to 5 April 2025 for those born after 5 April 1951 (men) or 5 April 1953 (women) to cover any gaps from April 2006 to 2018.

• Find out more: how much is the state pension worth?

How much does it cost to top up?

The standard cost of buying Class 3 NICs is £17.45 for a week for missing contributions in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 tax years. This means it would cost you £907.40 to fill in a full year.

If you're looking to fill gaps that occurred in the previous years, you would pay the rate charged in those years. The rates for the last four tax years are as follows:

• 2024-25: £17.45 per week (£907.40 per year)
• 2023-24: £17.45 per week (£907.40 per year)
• 2022-23: £15.85 per week (£824.20 per year)
• 2021-22: £15.40 per week (£800.80 per year)

You can find rates for previous years on the government website.

According to HMRC, the average online top up payment is £1,193. 

• Find out more: should I top up my state pension?

How much could you boost your state pension?

Each full year of NI contributions represents 1/35th of the full state pension, so adding one year could increase your income by £6.32 weekly or £328.64 annually, based on the 2024-2025 rates. This means the top-up would pay for itself in two to three years. 

Investment firm Quilter estimates that filling 10 years could cost around £8,000 but provide an extra £55,000 over a 20-year retirement. 

• Find out more: 5 ways to boost your state pension

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Is topping up right for you?

Plugging the gaps can be quite expensive, so you should first assess whether it's worth it. 

For example, filling blanks for certain years can sometimes have no impact on your state pension, particularly if you were 'contracted out' of the additional state pension or had already paid in 30 years by April 2016.

Topping up may be a good idea if you're close to state pension age and don't have enough qualifying years to get the full state pension. Those who've had career breaks, periods of low earnings or time abroad may also consider it. 

The government advises that anyone who is unsure should get advice from the Future Pension Centre (part of the Department for Work and Pensions) on 0800 731 0175.

• Find out more: how much could the state pension pay in 2025-2026

How to top up missing years online

To use the government's online tool, log in with your Government Gateway details or register for a new account.

Once logged in, you'll be able to see which years have NI contribution gaps, the cost of filling the gaps with voluntary payments and how much doing so would boost your state pension.

You can choose which years you would like to fill, and pay securely for the top-up via bank transfer or open banking. 

Most working-age users can access the online service without calling HMRC or DWP, including those abroad who want to pay for UK residency years. However, the service isn’t available for state pension recipients, self-employed individuals or those abroad with gaps from working overseas.

If you can’t use the online service or prefer speaking to someone, you can check your NI record and make payments by calling 0800 731 0175.

• Find out more: new state pension top up tool launched 

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Other ways to boost your state pension

If you can’t top up your pension by making Voluntary Class 3 NICs, then there are some other ways you might be able to give your pension a boost.

1. Claim NI credits

If you’re a parent caring for a child under 12, you automatically receive Class 3 NI credits through child benefit. 

Grandparents or family members under state-pension age who care for young children can also apply for Specified Adult NI credits to cover gaps, using form CF411A. 

These credits aren’t automatic and need to be claimed each year that care is provided.

• Find out more: how to claim National Insurance credits

Apply for pension credit

Pension credit provides a means-tested boost to low-income retirees through Guarantee Credit, which tops up weekly income to £218.15 for singles and £332.95 for couples. 

Savings Credit provides up to £17.01 per week for single people and £19.04 for couples. 

• Find out more: 5 ways you may be eligible for pension credit

Defer your state pension 

By deferring your pension, you can increase your payment by nearly 5.8% per year (or 1% every nine weeks).

Deferring works well if you have other retirement income or plan to keep working, as it can provide higher payments over time.

• Find out more: should I defer my state pension?