Key Post UK State Pension - Make voluntary contributions to qualify for UK pension on top of Irish pension

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DannyBoyD said:
Did you send by recorded delivery?
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We did - but the reference has been lost during the house move!

We have managed to get a Government Gateway login through Selfie & Passport Chip etc - we are in! NI Record shows "Full Year" for all (2011 onwards) apart from "2025 to 2026" - I worked remotely for a couple of years when i returned to Ireland. Can now also update postal address on the Gateway.

Based on your reply DannyBoyD, it looks like i need to call them regarding the CF83 and see if i can pay a Class 2 stamp for 25/26, then pay a Class 3 annually (18yrs) until i have enough total contributions for a full pension?

Thanks for you help.

Regards,
NewUser2026
 
I lived and studied in UK for 5 years (3 years consecutive + year out working in Ireland + 2 more years in UK) During this time in UK I worked part-time under a temporary NINO.

I applied for DWP call back and sent Form CF83 before April 2025 deadline.

Since then, I went to Newry, got a permanent NINO and managed to trace my employment history for years worked in UK (2000-2004) through a SARS request. This showed my Income levels were low. I paid some income tax and some NI payments but I don’t seem to have any NI credits. Employment history hasn’t appeared on HMRC app yet so ‘pension forecast’ doesn’t tell me if I have any ‘Qualifying Years’ or even if they are deemed ‘Not Full/Payable.

Phone conversations say a case worker hasn’t been assigned to my file yet although I have received the DWP call back already.

Will I be eligible to pay for voluntary contributions if these years are not deemed to be qualifying or payable years? Will I be eligible based solely on 3 years consecutive residency?
 
I might have a silly question. If I sent 2006-2021 by Revolut in July 2024, can I just go in and press send again to pay again for the remaining years as per the paperwork? Presuming Revolut details won’t have changed. Is it still the amount they have specified on the original paperwork and then the amount on the letter they sent me last year?
 
Hi everyone,

I lived in the UK for 3 years and have 3 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions.

I recently completed the CF83 form online as I wasn’t able to pay online initially, as the system said I had to contact HMRC via the CF83 process first. Received a response from HMRC a few days ago stating that I’m allowed to pay up to 10 years of voluntary contributions, using a mix of Class 2 and Class 3 rates, provided I pay within 31 days of the letter.
Tax years 19/20 to the most recent one 24/25 have all been Class 2 rates.

I paid the full amount using the 18-digit reference number provided. This should bring my total to 13 qualifying years.

My questions relate to paying going forward:

From April 2026 onward, I understand that Class 3 rates will apply under the new rules, which is fine for me. However, HMRC did not clearly explain how and when I should pay future years. Also, it's not 100% clear given the new rules from April 2026 onward whether I fit their criteria or not.
Calling them hasn’t been very helpful, as I’m not getting clear answers.

So my questions are:
  1. Do I need to submit another CF83 form to confirm that I want to continue paying voluntary contributions each year going forward?
  2. How are future payments made — do I pay manually online each year, or will HMRC automatically set up a Direct Debit (and if so, is that monthly, quarterly, or annually)?
  3. Do I need to notify HMRC each year that I want to make a voluntary payment, or can I simply pay once the tax year becomes available?
  4. Is HMRC giving me a new 18 digit reference number for future payments? I believe the 18 digit reference number for past payments where a randomly generated number
One additional point: I never previously received any letter informing me that I was eligible to pay voluntary NI contributions. This recent response was the first confirmation I’ve had.

Thanks in advance for any guidance
 
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Q1. No

Q2. You can't pay by DD from non-UK bank account. Its an annual payment.

Q3. No. You'll get a notification each year.

Q4. No and its not random.

Your "additional point" - what other correspondence did you expect?
 
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Thanks for your swift reply DannyBoyD.

Q1. You can't pay by DD from non-UK bank account. Its an annual payment.
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I have a UK bank account and paid online using that one
Q2. No. You'll get a notification each year.
Click to expand...
Are you sure? As I have never received a notification in the past
Your "additional point" - what other correspondence did you expect?
Click to expand...
I read in the forum that an annual letter is sent out, which I never received. Or does that relate to something else?


To summarize, since I'm already in their "system", i.e. not a New Applicant, I should be able clear these new hurdles and no new CF83 form is needed?

Eligibility from April 2026​

New applications to pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions will need applicants to have either:
  • lived in the UK for 10 years in a row
  • paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions while in the UK
 
Thanks for clarifying, I wasn’t aware of the whole process until yet. Makes sense now that an annual letter is sent once application for CF83 has been processed
 
I hadn't bothered to go for this as I'd only worked in the UK for slightly more than two and a half years and assumed it wouldn't apply to me.

However I did contact the National Insurance Office (or whatever they're called) a few years ago to get a statement of contributions in the hope that they might help with the Irish State Pension. (I've a messy record of mixed rate contributions, self-employed and a few Home Caring periods.)

Just yesterday I got a letter from the UK Department of Work & Pensions in Wolverhampton (dated 27/1/2026) informing me that I'll get £40.87 (about €47) per week which will be backdated to early February! They explained that this is based on my UK contributions only but that they used my Irish Insurance record to work out my entitlement - which I don't entirely understand!

Given that I had zero contact with the UK Pensions Office I'm assuming that my application for Irish CSP has prompted this?

They said I would get an initial payment backdated and that it would be paid again four weeks after that first payment. (Apparently the payment day is based on the last two digits of the Nat Insurance number - mine falls on a Tuesday.) I wondered should I give them my bank details as they hadn't requested them?

Anyway, lo and behold, I happened to check my PTSB account this morning and I noticed a payment overnight for €99.98 from the Dept of Work & Pensions!

This has come as an unexpected and pleasant surprise - and while it's fairly small beans, it works out at about €2,444.00 annually on top of two small Public Service pensions and the Irish pension which is about 3/4 of the full amount.

God Bless The King!
 
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Howth Head said:
only worked in the UK for slightly more than two and a half years and assumed it wouldn't apply to me
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Bit of a shame you didn't as it likely crossed 3 tax years.

However, thats water under the bridge.

Enjoy the few bob!

And not to cast a cloud - don't forget it has to be declared as income.
 
DannyBoyD said:
Bit of a shame you didn't as it likely crossed 3 tax years.
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Yeah, it seems I might have been able to top that up alright - but given that I didn't expect anything I see it as bit of a minor win. (And there's a £10 Christmas bonus to look forward to as well!)

Lisgoold said:
you'd have given Sligo your bank details. They then pass them onto DWP in the UK.
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True - but with GDPR nonsense etc I would have thought I'd have to re-confirm or something like that.

DannyBoyD said:
And not to cast a cloud - don't forget it has to be declared as income.
Click to expand...

Yep!
 
Echo919 said:
Hi everyone,

I lived in the UK for 3 years and have 3 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions.

I recently completed the CF83 form online as I wasn’t able to pay online initially, as the system said I had to contact HMRC via the CF83 process first. Received a response from HMRC a few days ago stating that I’m allowed to pay up to 10 years of voluntary contributions, using a mix of Class 2 and Class 3 rates, provided I pay within 31 days of the letter.
Tax years 19/20 to the most recent one 24/25 have all been Class 2 rates.

I paid the full amount using the 18-digit reference number provided. This should bring my total to 13 qualifying years.

My questions relate to paying going forward:

From April 2026 onward, I understand that Class 3 rates will apply under the new rules, which is fine for me. However, HMRC did not clearly explain how and when I should pay future years. Also, it's not 100% clear given the new rules from April 2026 onward whether I fit their criteria or not.
Calling them hasn’t been very helpful, as I’m not getting clear answers.

So my questions are:
  1. Do I need to submit another CF83 form to confirm that I want to continue paying voluntary contributions each year going forward?
  2. How are future payments made — do I pay manually online each year, or will HMRC automatically set up a Direct Debit (and if so, is that monthly, quarterly, or annually)?
  3. Do I need to notify HMRC each year that I want to make a voluntary payment, or can I simply pay once the tax year becomes available?
  4. Is HMRC giving me a new 18 digit reference number for future payments? I believe the 18 digit reference number for past payments where a randomly generated number
One additional point: I never previously received any letter informing me that I was eligible to pay voluntary NI contributions. This recent response was the first confirmation I’ve had.

Thanks in advance for any guidance
Click to expand...

I’ve just checked my post and received another letter.

This time from the HMRC - National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office, stating that I need to pay Class 3 National Insurance contributions as soon as possible.
It starts with: "Thank you for applying to pay voluntary Class 3 contributions...This letter tells you how you can pay..."

However, I had already received a letter from HMRC - PT Operations North East England saying that I owed a mix of Class 2 and Class 3 contributions (including the shortfall table), which I already paid last week.
What’s confusing is that both letters are dated the same day, yet there’s a difference of around £150 between the amounts.
I applied using the CF83 form so they could assess which National Insurance classes apply to me, identify any shortfall years, and confirm the amount I need to pay.

Has anyone else experienced something similar or received conflicting information like this?
Shall I pay the other amount as well?
 
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