Deadline for UK pension voluntary contributions extended

[DannyBoyD]

Deadline extended to April 2025.

Deadline for voluntary National Insurance contributions extended to April 2025

The government is giving people more time to pay National Insurance contributions towards their State Pension.

www.gov.uk

The original deadline was extended to 31 July 2023 earlier this year, and tens of thousands of people have taken advantage to pay voluntary contributions to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) since then. The revised deadline is expected to enable tens of thousands more to do the same.

I think we can cheerfully say AskAboutMoney has contributed a significant portion of those claimants!

 

[time to plan]

On my NIC record oN Government Gateway, it says for each missing year:

You can make up the shortfall

Pay a voluntary contribution of £824.20 by 31 July 2023. This shortfall may increase after 31 July 2023.

Now, I will be looking to pay the lower rate of Class 2 contributions, so that contribution will come down.

But... I read this as saying that there is a risk that the contribution amount may go up, even though the deadline has extended, but presumably it's linked to standard UK NIC levels.

 

[DannyBoyD]

but presumably it's linked to standard UK NIC levels

That would be my understanding; it would be very unlikely that it stops being a good deal.

 

[BOBHUISMAKKER]

I'm glad this extension has come. I've sent 2 registered letters to HMRC , one is lost according to Royal Mail (make a claim they advised) and the 2nd is in transit about 3 weeks.

 

[cremeegg]

I'm glad this extension has come. I've sent 2 registered letters to HMRC , one is lost according to Royal Mail (make a claim they advised) and the 2nd is in transit about 3 weeks.

My letter is recorded on the An Post site as having been delivered 6 weeks ago. no sign of it on the HMRC website.

I also have the 'you can pay class 3 contributions' letter. I believe I should be able to pay class 2. I am seriously considering looking for a UK accountant to deal with this for me.

 

[Lisgoold]

I'm glad this extension has come. I've sent 2 registered letters to HMRC , one is lost according to Royal Mail (make a claim they advised) and the 2nd is in transit about 3 weeks.

Bear in mind too, that when they receive it, they'll probably take 40-50 weeks to do anything with it!

 

[NoRegretsCoyote]

I also have the 'you can pay class 3 contributions' letter. I believe I should be able to pay class 2. I am seriously considering looking for a UK accountant to deal with this for me.

I doubt it will speed up anything.

Just be patient and write them letters. Unless you are very close to retirement it shouldn’t be a problem to wait.

 

[LDFerguson]

My letter is recorded on the An Post site as having been delivered 6 weeks ago. no sign of it on the HMRC website.

I also have the 'you can pay class 3 contributions' letter. I believe I should be able to pay class 2. I am seriously considering looking for a UK accountant to deal with this for me.

By coincidence there's a chartered accountant who works in the same office building as me and his full-time job these days is helping people with their UK State Pension buy-backs. He's not expecting any replies from HMRC until the end of this year at the earliest, due to volumes of applications they're dealing with. I don't think that having an intermediary will speed up the process.

 

[fme]

Similar to Bobhuismakker, I sent by registered mail - according to royal mail tracking it has been received from an post but just sitting for a month now in some black hole in Heathrow:

Guess I need to send another...
Bob, did you bother making a claim?

 

[Allpartied]

Similar to Bobhuismakker, I sent by registered mail - according to royal mail tracking it has been received from an post but just sitting for a month now in some black hole in Heathrow:
View attachment 8005
Guess I need to send another...
Bob, did you bother making a claim?

I had a similar experience in March of this year. The item took over a month to be listed as delivered.
I think they store the items at a delivery depot and then transfer them, to the data centre, in bulk , once every few weeks.
I wouldn't worry about it for a few more weeks.

 

[PoundMan]

I also have had issues. I sent my documentation back in mid-July and it still doesn't show as delivered with An Post tracking. I raised a case with them and it has now been over 60 days so I'll have to chase them for an outcome. All they can tell me is that the item was definitely scanned leaving Ireland but hasn't been scanned as being received in England.