All your statements are correct for my case.
I had 3 years to fill in, and I sent 3 different payments to match each year and make it easier on their side.
It sounds like I will have to contact them and have them match the payments.
Thanks for your help
It can be easier to wait for the system update. Once that is updated you can see if the payments are allocated into the correct years. If not, you can call and ask them to allocate properly. In the best case, they are properly allocated and you don’t need to make a follow-up call.
In the past, I had issues where the bank reference didn’t have enough characters and the year got chopped off and so all allocations went to the wrong year.
how long did it take in your case for the system to update?
6 months.
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Paid in Mar 2024, called and received written confirmation April 2024.
Online NI record still hasn’t updated (says “data as April 2024”), and lists the gaps with the higher class3 amounts to pay.
For this payment there is no year to specify, the reference is just name + ni number.
When I called it was 30min wait, but when connected they know exactly what to do, finished in 1-2 mins max.
I hope in 5 years time when I need to to this again the online system would update immediately by then… don’t trust their direct debits and don’t mind filling in their form once every 5 years.
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They will not lose your payments, so you don’t need to worry too much. Now I check once every 4 years or so just to make sure everything is still working. But I have a direct debit in place and everything has gone fine for many years now.
I was previously contracted out of SERPs which reduced my pension allowance. However, I think under the new rules, I can still get a full pension by paying additional years beyond the normal 35 years. Has anyone looked into this and knows the answer?
If you check online, they expire your credentials after 3 years non-use. Just happened to me.
I still pay UK taxes so have to use the portal every year to file. Maybe that is what has kept it alive.
The party might be over:
UK government plans to close what is probably the most generous pension scheme in the world.
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No surprise there, been talked about for years now.
Looks like there could still be the option to pay Class 3 instead. Need to calculate if it’d still be worth it.
- £3.50 a week for Class 2
- £17.75 a week for Class 3
Yes, Class 3 is still possible.
Payback is 4 years rather than about 7 months
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Just saw this too
Calculating the “payback” period is a bit more complicated - depends on one’s age to retirement, other investment return rates… but back-of-the-napkin calculations are about 3-4 years indeed. Might still be worth doing if close to retirement
Don’t forget, the last Class 2 payments will be taken soon. I wonder if we need to manually cancel the DD?
From their website :
If you currently pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions abroad, HMRC will write to you from July 2026 if you’re affected.
If you pay by Direct Debit, do not cancel it — HMRC will collect your final payment for the 2025 to 2026 tax year on 10 July 2026.
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Thanks adding the link here:
What is interesting is this:
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
This is new to me and a much stricter requirement. I had imagined I’d wait closer to retirement age and maybe top up with Class 3 NICs if it made sense, but I’m not sure if I meet the 10 year NIC while in the UK requirement. I think I paid 9 years, but if they include some early deemed NIC payments, then I still qualify.
Wait. If it is an OR requirement and not AND, then I meet the first one, so might be able to make class 3 payments.
I believe that they are fairly broad minded about what is work. My wife got extra years for her summer part-time job working in her Dad’s shop. She did make contributions.
What do you mean by payback period? Last year I caught up with all my Class 2 for quite a few years and just saw that they put a stop to that so trying to work out what to do going forward.