In order to qualify for the maximum 'new state pension' (received by those retiring on or after 6 April 2016) you must have 35 qualifying years of NI contributions. For part payment of the 'new state pension' you must have contributed for at least 10 years.
If you have not contributed enough prior to reaching state pension age, you may not be able to claim state pension or receive the full amount and it may therefore be beneficial to make voluntary National Insurance contributions to top up your contribution history.
It is normally only possible to make voluntary contributions for the past six years. However there is currently an extension in place which allows you to fill gaps in your National Insurance history from 6 April 2006 to the present date. This extension will end on 5 April 2023 and the timeframe for making voluntary contributions will then revert to six years.
We would therefore recommend that you take action before 5 April 2023 to check your National Insurance records.
In order to establish whether you would benefit from paying voluntary National Insurance contributions you should request your National Insurance record. You can do this online at www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record or by telephoning the helpline on 0300 200 3500. Your record will tell you how many qualifying years you have to date, if you have any gaps in your record, whether you are eligible to pay voluntary contributions to fill any gaps and if so how much it will cost you. It will not tell you how many qualifying years you need to maximise your state pension.
If you are below state pension age, you should also obtain a state pension forecast. This will tell you how many years you need to contribute to achieve your maximum pension. You can obtain your forecast online at www.gov.uk/check-state-pension but must telephone the Future Pension Centre on 0800 731 0175 to discuss whether you will benefit from making voluntary contributions.
If you have already reached state pension age you should contact the Pension Service on 0800 731 7898 to find out if you will benefit from voluntary contributions.
You will need to register with the Government Gateway at www.gov.uk/log-in-register-hmrc-online-services to access the above online services, if you have not already done so.