If you make sufficient years of National Insurance Contributions (NIC) in the UK you will qualify for a State Pension. You need at least 10 qualifying years to receive the minimum State Pension and 35 years to qualify for the full State Pension, which is currently £221.20 per week.
The deadline is fast approaching to make voluntary NIC contributions and fill any gaps in your state pension record. Specifically, if you have any gaps in your NIC record in the years since 6 April 2006 you have until 5 April 2025 to top these up.
After 5 April 2025, you will only be able to top up for the past six years, which may be sufficient for most of our clients.
You’ll need to request a state pension forecast from HMRC and if this identifies any gaps in your record, you can consider making voluntary contributions.
You can check your pension forecast here:
https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension
You can check your NIC record here:
https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record
You will need to register for a government gateway ID if you don’t already have one.
This all needs to be dealt with by 5 April 2025.
For full details on this matter please see this document.