Thousands of workers with holes in their UK state pension pots have been given extra time to top up any missing national insurance years between 2006 and 2016.

The deadline, which was originally 5th April 2023, has been extended to 31st  July 2023, while the price of filling any gaps will be frozen at current costs during this period. The move comes as helplines run by the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC have been overwhelmed, meaning that people cannot get through to access vital information.

In a written ministerial statement, Financial Secretary to the Treasury Victoria Atkins said:

“HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) and DWP (the Department for Work and Pensions) have experienced a recent surge in customer contact.

“To ensure customers do not miss out, the Government intends to extend the April 5 deadline to pay voluntary NICs (national insurance contributions) to July 31 this year.

“This applies to years that would otherwise have been out of time to pay after April 5, up to and including the 2016/17 tax year. All voluntary NICs payments will be accepted at the existing 2022/23 rates until the July 31.”

The extension now means that many people with gaps in their national insurance contributions (NICs) between 2006 and 2016 and who would not therefore have been on track to get the full state pension, have more time to get the information they need  to decide whether to make any voluntary NICs HMRC. Qualifying years are usually gained through employment or by claiming certain benefits, however those that don’t have enough can pay to fill any missing years.

 Victoria Atkins added:

“We recognise how important state pensions are for retired individuals, which is why we are giving people more time to fill any gaps in their national insurance record to help bolster their entitlement.” 

After the deadline, anyone seeking to contribute will only be able to backfill gaps from the previous six tax years.  This is because "transitional arrangements" which were put in place when the new state pension system was introduced in 2016 will have ended.