Have you topped up a UK pension to cover gaps?

[MEL_Traveller]

A small update.

I completed all the forms on line, including employment history since leaving the UK.

Got a form in the mail, dated three days after submitting my application, asking for all employment since April 2024.

I had provided details of my current employment, which was ongoing a the time i filled out the form (late July).

So I phoned… apparently they want exact dates of all employment since leaving the UK. I explained it’s been 20 years! And I just don’t have exact dates.

The agent said not to bother filling in or returning the form, he’d email the relevant department with my comments.

So, we’ll wait and see!

It took 25 days for their letter to reach me here. So doing things by phone rather than mail would save a fair bit of time.

 

[FlyingFiona]

A small update.

I completed all the forms on line, including employment history since leaving the UK.

Got a form in the mail, dated three days after submitting my application, asking for all employment since April 2024.

I had provided details of my current employment, which was ongoing a the time i filled out the form (late July).

So I phoned… apparently they want exact dates of all employment since leaving the UK. I explained it’s been 20 years! And I just don’t have exact dates.

The agent said not to bother filling in or returning the form, he’d email the relevant department with my comments.

So, we’ll wait and see!

It took 25 days for their letter to reach me here. So doing things by phone rather than mail would save a fair bit of time.

I only just submitted mine last week. It's been 18 years since I left Scotland and I have had about 13 different employments since that time (as is the nature of contract work) and had to really dig deep to find dates. Many contracts only lasted a few months and so the dates are approximate. Most of the companies do no even exist anymore! In fact, if it wasn't for my tax returns I wouldn't even have known the names of half of them.

I'm a bit confused why they asked for employment since April 2024 - did you mean to write 2004?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I only just submitted mine last week. It's been 18 years since I left Scotland and I have had about 13 different employments since that time (as is the nature of contract work) and had to really dig deep to find dates. Many contracts only lasted a few months and so the dates are approximate. Most of the companies do no even exist anymore! In fact, if it wasn't for my tax returns I wouldn't even have known the names of half of them.

I'm a bit confused why they asked for employment since April 2024 - did you mean to write 2004?

lol… no! I initially thought the request must have been 2004… but while on hold for 37 minutes I looked more closely and it said April 2024 (yes, twenty four!)

The agent’s initial response was ‘we need exact dates’, which didn’t really fit with what the form was asking, which was ‘since April 2024’. So maybe the form was printed incorrectly and meant 2004, with exact dates. No idea!

Suggest if you get a similar letter than you might want to call rather than spend time filling everything out. I may have potentially saved 52 days of time (26 days for my letter to get back to them, and another 26 for them to reply)… or I may not!

The agent said he’d just send an email saying I’ve been in contact, I don’t have exact dates because of the length of time, and that I’d been with my most recent employer since April 2024, so nothing to add.

I’ll update when I get news, but I suspect that will be by post, so another 4-5 weeks away.

 

[FlyingFiona]

How odd!

And thanks for the tip to ring. I'm expecting some kind of "more required" response from them but have no idea how to produce more than what I have. Will post an update here.

 

[Brissy1]

It seems that getting a UK Government Gateway Login is a required 1st step, and that requires a NI number .

Can't recover Mrs.B NI number from 30 years ago, original bank account still open but no other records except a poor memory. Hospital she worked at has since closed. Not hopeful.

Pity, the entire pension £s + would go back into the uk economy

 

[FlyingFiona]

It seems that getting a UK Government Gateway Login is a required 1st step, and that requires a NI number .

Can't recover Mrs.B NI number from 30 years ago, original bank account still open but no other records except a poor memory. Hospital she worked at has since closed. Not hopeful.

Correct.

The UK Gov website says:

Other ways to get your National Insurance number​

If you cannot find your National Insurance number on any of your documents or by using the online service, you can:

• fill in form CA5403 online and post it to the address given at the end of the form
• contact HMRC to get a letter confirming your National Insurance number - this can take up to 10 working days to arrive

 

[Brissy1]

Correct.

The UK Gov website says:

Other ways to get your National Insurance number​

If you cannot find your National Insurance number on any of your documents or by using the online service, you can:

• fill in form CA5403 online and post it to the address given at the end of the form
• contact HMRC to get a letter confirming your National Insurance number - this can take up to 10 working days to arrive

Excellent, thank you.

 

[kelvedon]

A word of warning. A friend (Living in Australia) was contributing class 2 pension contributions of about £150 p.a.
She then retired from work (aged 62) and started to draw from her Australian super. Her subsequent Class 2 contributions are now over £900 p.a. The ATO reported her changed employment status to HMRC making her ineligible for the low Class 2 annual contribution You have to be still working to be classed under the “self employed” umbrella that offers the lower annual payment.

 

[andye]

A word of warning. A friend (Living in Australia) was contributing class 2 pension contributions of about £150 p.a.
She then retired from work (aged 62) and started to draw from her Australian super. Her subsequent Class 2 contributions are now over £900 p.a. The ATO reported her changed employment status to HMRC making her ineligible for the low Class 2 annual contribution You have to be still working to be classed under the “self employed” umbrella that offers the lower annual payment.

Best to max out contributions before retirement. The number of years you can buy at a time lowers in April 2025 so if you have many to catch up, do so early

 

[andye]

I couldn't remember the online form I filled in.
I was then applying on behalf of mrsandye*. The online screening process suggested we needed to call UK. After 30 mins on hold they told me we just needed to fill in form CF83

This is the link to that form (online or post). You need to have set up a verified Government Gateway to do online

Apply to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions when abroad (CF83)

Pay voluntary National Insurance for periods abroad.

www.gov.uk

The online process was straightforward.
They will write back with decision.

*mrsandye only needs 8 years so I was originally planning to wait a few years but the UK govt seems to be looking around for cost savings and I'm concerned the class 2 NICS scheme will change

 

[FlyingFiona]

*mrsandye only needs 8 years

Assume you mean only 8 years to top up to full pension, not to qualify in the first place?

 

[andye]

Assume you mean only 8 years to top up to full pension, not to qualify in the first place?

That's right

 

[Per_Travels]

Hi, looking for some experience with making the actual payments for your Class 2 NICs. I've received the letter telling me which years I can top up for along with guidance on how to pay and the link to this page:

Pay Class 2 National Insurance if you do not pay through Self Assessment

How to pay Class 2 self-employed National Insurance contributions - online, bank transfer, cheque, payslips.

www.gov.uk

The payment process in this page is for people who want to pay from an overseas bank account but are living abroad temporarily. If I then follow the link for people who are living abroad permanently - which is my case (Social Security abroad: NI38) then I can't find anywhere that actually gives me a process for making the payment.

Have people simply used the payment method for those who are 'paying from an overseas bank account whilst abroad temporarily'

This process:

Paying from an overseas bank account​

You can pay from an overseas account if you live or work abroad temporarily.

Use the following details:

• account number (IBAN) - GB49 BARC 2020 4830 9447 93
• Bank Identifier Code (BIC) - BARCGB22
• account name - HMRC NIC receipts

There’s a different way to pay Class 2 National Insurance if you live or work abroad permanently.

Reference number to use​

Use your National Insurance number followed by ‘IC’, your surname then your initial.

If your bank limits you to a certain amount of characters, you should use your National Insurance number followed by ‘IC’ and as much of your surname as possible.

Example

If your name is Anne Jones, you’d write the reference as QQ123456AICJONESA

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Just called HRMC. Wait time around 25 mins.

The forms I sent in July, and updated verbally by phone at the end of August, are expected to be replied to in early January 2025.

They have a backlog of claims and are currently working on applications received in June.

Just posting here in case people have sent off information but haven’t heard back yet.

I’ve been advised to call back in February if I haven’t received anything in the mail by then (noting it eptakes about a month for the mail to get from HRMC to Australia).

 

[andye]

When I applied in March forms came in under 6 weeks so word must have got around
I wouldn't be surprised if the class 2 price is enhanced after April once UK Government gets its short-term cash injection
Good idea not to leave payment till last few days as must be a chance the site will crash

 

[SydneySwan]

Data point for when I bought additional years in 2019:

I received the letter advising confirmation of class 2 eligibility dated 4 June 2019 on 16 July 2019.

I posted a cheque on 17 July 2019 which cleared through my UK account on 13 August 2019.

I received a 'payment received' letter dated 7 August 2019 on 2 September 2019.

I think HRMC have a contract with another European postal service to post letters overseas which means they take 4-6 weeks to arrive down under instead of the 7-10 days that regular mail takes. Fortunately they accept online payments now. I have a note that I queried when I would see my online account updated with the years I had purchased and was advised not to call until at least 6 weeks after the cheque had been received by HMRC. It looks like those delays have become much worse in the intervening years.

 

[FlyingFiona]

Just called HRMC. Wait time around 25 mins.

The forms I sent in July, and updated verbally by phone at the end of August, are expected to be replied to in early January 2025.

They have a backlog of claims and are currently working on applications received in June.

Just posting here in case people have sent off information but haven’t heard back yet.

I’ve been advised to call back in February if I haven’t received anything in the mail by then (noting it eptakes about a month for the mail to get from HRMC to Australia).

Yikes, this is significantly longer than the timeframe listed on their website when I submitted mine (after yours - really regretting my few months delay now). Thanks for the update!

 

[andye]

If you do miss the April 5 deadline, my understanding is you should still be able to claim 6 years and continue to claim an additional year annually while you continue to work

(I've just reviewed the thread-apologies for repeating same/similar info over time)

 

[andye]

Mrsandye's letter giving class 2 prices came today. So 8 weeks after online application.
It gave options of eleven Class 2 years and three Class 3 (as she didn't work here for all years).
She only needs 8 for full pension so don't assume if they are offered, you ought to buy them all

 

[Per_Travels]

Mrsandye's letter giving class 2 prices came today. So 8 weeks after online application.
It gave options of eleven Class 2 years and three Class 3 (as she didn't work here for all years).
She only needs 8 for full pension so don't assume if they are offered, you ought to buy them all

Can you specify which years you want to pay for? My understanding is that you pay a lump sum into the HMRC bank account and then they allocate it - but I can't see anything that tells me how they do this (ie will they allocate to Class 2 years first or Class 3)? My wife is in a similar situation with a mix of class 2 and 3, but she only needs to top up the class 2's to get her full 35 years.