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

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Happened to me last week - exactly the same paid mainly class 2 and a small bit of class 3 after receiving my original response to the cf83 in January. I logged into my online account and confirmed they had all already gone through and that the years have been credited to me.

Also, just FYI I had avoided setting up the online account but found it easier than anticipated, I was able to use my Irish passport to verify my identity. It's reassuring actually seeing the years credited on the system.
 
DannyBoyD said:
Its happened before; if you've already paid, wait a few weeks & ring and make sure its correctly allocated.
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Thank you - Would it be an issue if I pay any shortfall later to cover all required years, and if I end up overpaying, will the excess be refunded?

@bill_cash
Happened to me last week - exactly the same paid mainly class 2 and a small bit of class 3 after receiving my original response to the cf83 in January. I logged into my online account and confirmed they had all already gone through and that the years have been credited to me.

Also, just FYI I had avoided setting up the online account but found it easier than anticipated, I was able to use my Irish passport to verify my identity. It's reassuring actually seeing the years credited on the system.
Click to expand...

I see, were you able without any hassle to pay any difference shortly after then?
 
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Just checked my NI record, and gladly everything is updated apart from a partial year. I'll ring them up in order to fill that gap as well
 
Wondering if anyone else has experienced a long delay in the correct allocation of their payment for Class 2 Voluntary NI shortfall. I received shortfall letter early 2024. Paid shortfall April 24. Contacted HMRC August 2024 to confirm the years that the payment related to (tax years 2006 to 2022). Contacted them again in August 2025 as the payment was incorrectly allocated to the years 2017 - 2024. Contacted them again today (18/2/26) as payment still incorrectly allocated. So nearly 2 years delay, has anyone else experienced this ?
 
Wondering if anyone knows the answer to this question.
I was asked this question today and it would be good to know the answer now especially because from next year the contributions are more expensive.

What happens if both husband and wife make voluntary contributions but one of them later dies.

One partner could either die before actual retirement age or after retirement age.

Is there an option for the surviving partner to any additional benefit on the death before retirement/after retirement age.?
 
Wondering if anyone else has experienced a long delay in the correct allocation of their payment for Class 2 Voluntary NI shortfall. I received shortfall letter early 2024. Paid shortfall April 24. Contacted HMRC August 2024 to confirm the years that the payment related to (tax years 2006 to 2022). Contacted them again in August 2025 as the payment was incorrectly allocated to the years 2017 - 2024. Contacted them again today (18/2/26) as payment still incorrectly allocated. So nearly 2 years delay, has anyone else experienced this ?
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Not two years, no. But I'm still waiting for the correct allocation after seven months.
 
Asking on behalf of a friend.

He worked in NI maybe 35 years ago.

The employer was a US MNC, who are long gone.

He knows all his dates and addresses, but not his NI number.

He worked there for maybe 20 months.

If it's important, his wife is from NI, and worked in NI at the same time as him, and she is now in the system for the UK State Pension.

He did write to HMRC 11 months ago, I presume asking about his NI number. No reply from them yet.

Is it too late?
 
Hey all,

Straight up front I'll say I've been far too lax on keeping tabs on things. I'd gotten in the request to pay the back payments before the deadline and did receive a callback to confirm my NI number but never heard back after that.

I then did try 2 times to send the CF83 form by registered post from Spain to the address provided on the form:

PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
United Kingdom

Both times, it took several weeks to eventually have the letters declared "lost" despite them having tracking. Once can happen, twice is suspicious. The fact that the address above gives a location on Google Maps that appears to be in the countryside outside Newcastle and more akin to the entrance to a family farm than a HKRC building does give me pause.

A few questions I have:

  1. Which number should I call to check about the Back Payments? (Was reassured that once I had the app in before deadline I didn't need to call)
  2. Any advice on getting the CF83 form to the actual destination? Is it the right address? A town/village I could add? Anything.
  3. I only just read today about the nuking of the Class 2 Contributions. With me having a max of 8 years contributions before the April Deadline, is it possible I won't be eligible at all to make voluntary contributions going forward as I'll be under the 10 years, or is this still TBC? Wondering if it's worth paying the gaps if I might be blocked from getting to the 10 year threshold regardless?

I seem to qualify for Class 2 payments. Can I still send this form? I did submit my application before the deadline and as mentioned above, got a call back, but all they did was confirm my NI number, radio silence since. I'm in no rush whatsoever given my age but want to know what I can/should do next. Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks a million :)

2024 to 2025 - Your record for this year is not available yet
2023 to 2024 - Year is not full (Cost to fill gap: £907.40)
2022 to 2023 - Year is not full (Cost to fill gap: £337.25)
2021 to 2022 - Full year
2020 to 2021 - Full year
2019 to 2020 - Full year
2018 to 2019 - Full year
2017 to 2018 - Full year
Click to expand...
 
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LovelyIrishAlan said:
PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
United Kingdom
...
The fact that the address above gives a location on Google Maps that appears to be in the countryside outside Newcastle and more akin to the entrance to a family farm than a HKRC building does give me pause.
...
A few questions I have:

  1. ...
  2. Any advice on getting the CF83 form to the actual destination? Is it the right address? A town/village I could add? Anything.
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FWIW, that address is listed here:
www.gov.uk

National Insurance: enquiries

Contact HMRC for changes of details, rates, credits, Statutory Payments, online statements and for help with gaps in your National Insurance contributions.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk

Post​

Write to HMRC at this address with all National Insurance queries.

There is a different way to:
You do not need to include a street name, city name or PO box when writing to this address.

Couriers should use a different address.

PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
United Kingdom
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Did you send it by courier? If so then this may be relevant?
www.gov.uk

Courier deliveries to HMRC: PO box and BX postcodes

Use this address if you’re a courier for all post items being delivered to an HMRC site that does not accept post, a PO box, or a postcode beginning with BX.
www.gov.uk www.gov.uk

Post​

Use this address if you’re a courier for all post items being delivered to a:
  • postcode beginning with BX5 or BX9
  • PO box
  • HMRC site that does not accept post
HM Revenue and Customs
Central Mail Unit
BP5001
Dunstanburgh House
Benton Park View
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE98 1ZZ
United Kingdom
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Having applied online a few weeks ago, i received two letters in the post today (dated 6th Feb 2026).

One letter says "Thank you for applying to pay voluntary Class 3 contributions. For the period 09/04/2006 to 05/04/2025 the amount due is £1,883.70", followed by a small amount of info on various methods of payment.

The second letter says "We've looked at the information on your application and have decided you can pay voluntary Class 2 National Incusrance Contributions by a yearly payment.......Our records show you have 6 qualifying years of NIC's up to 5 April 2025". It then provides a table of years with amounts of payment required which i've summarised below.

StartEndClassAmount
200620073824.20
200720080Full Year
200820090Full Year
200920100Full Year
201020112154.35
20102011347.55
201120122163.80
201220132163.80
201320142163.80
201420152166.95
201520162163.80
201620172163.80
201720182163.80
201820192163.80
201920202166.95
202020212163.80
202120222158.60
202220232163.80
202320242179.40
202420252179.40
Total3,351.60

A phone number for the "Future Pension Centre" is provided which they say to call before making a payment. I'll do this tomorrow, but just wanted to better understand my options before that call.

1) Any idea how the figure of £1,883.70 in the first letter relates to the figures in the second letter? The total of Class 3 in the more detailed letters is £871.75 and i can't see an obvious summation of years that gets to that total.

2) When they say "you have 6 qualifying years of NIC's up to 5 April 2025", does this mean i can make voluntary contributions for 6 additional years, or that for some reason they think i have 6 years already and i can make voluntary contributions for all the years on the letter? {2007 - 2010 are absent from the table on the letter, i've inserted them above for (hopefully) clarity.

3) Assuming i can only make voluntary contributions for 6 years retrospectively, can i choose which ones? Specifically can i choose not to pay for 2006-2007 @ £824, and choose to pay from 2010-11 to 2015-16 at the lower class 2 rates?

4) The letter also states "From 6 April 2026, Voluntary NIC's can no longer be paid at the Class 2 rate", so if i have 3 full years, and i pay retrospectively for 6 more, then i'll need to pay Class 3 for 2025-6 in due course to get to the minimum 10 years?

I would appreciate any clarification/correction of my understanding on the points above.
 
Is anyone else having trouble with the HMRC app/website? For the last week, when I log in to try to check allocations, I get this:

WhatsApp Image 2026-02-26 at 16.46.35.webp
 
^^^^^^seems to be an issue with my account specifically. How strange, as it worked perfectly before. Support says it could take 8-10 weeks to fix.
 
Paid for 19 years contributions in September after receiving the invite letter from HMRC. Rang them in November to check that they'd received the payment and the guy spent ages on the phone saying he was allocating the payment to the correct years. Said it might take a while to appear on the HMRC Gateway (the pension forecast) but to ring back in March if it hadn't changed. Rang yesterday and they said the payments hadn't been allocated on their system at all but it could take time and to ring back in July. The wait wasn't that long to speak to an advisor so thinking of doing a monthly call to follow up on it. I'd spent about an hour on the phone with the guy in November as he allocated the payments so no idea why they are saying it wasn't done.
 
99thFloor said:
^^^^^^seems to be an issue with my account specifically. How strange, as it worked perfectly before. Support says it could take 8-10 weeks to fix.
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That was exactly my experience, fine then this then back to normal what seems like ages later.
It doesn't happen to everyone.
Maybe some files are handled by juniors who then need someone senior to sign off on their work.
 
That was exactly my experience, fine then this then back to normal what seems like ages later.
It doesn't happen to everyone.

Maybe some files are handled by juniors who then need someone senior to sign off on their work.
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Are you saying that once back to normal, the allocation was correct? (The file had been updated?)


In other words, the reason for the account being disabled is because someone is working on it? I assumed it was a technical glitch, but also couldn't understand why that would take two months to fix...
 
99thFloor said:
Are you saying that once back to normal, the allocation was correct? (The file had been updated?)


In other words, the reason for the account being disabled is because someone is working on it? I assumed it was a technical glitch, but also couldn't understand why that would take two months to fix...
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Not sure what you mean about updated, but I started getting that exact message when I tried to log in, in early March 2025, it was still like that in late April 2025, I tried logging in at odd hours when less people might be trying but that made no difference, I think it's just a generic page they display for lots of reasons and it's misleading.
At some point after that access was restored and all looked OK to me and has since. I'm a little fuzzy on the exact details, sorry.
 
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