Have you topped up a UK pension to cover gaps?

[dvt]

State pension: Deadline for National Insurance top-ups softened

A looming deadline for people to plug NI gaps, to ensure they get the full state pension, has been eased.

www.bbc.com

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks! In writing!

 

[FlyingFiona]

For those of you who have already paid, what reference did you put in? On the website it says:

Payment reference​

Use your 18-digit reference number when making your payment. You’ll find it on the payment request sent to you by HMRC.

For quarterly payments, your number will begin with 11.

For one-off payments, your number will begin with 60.

I entered the "Our Ref" 18 digit number on the letter I was sent - now I'm having a mild panic attack that it's meant to be something else and my money is sitting in the nether regions never to be seen again. I only saw the "your number will begin with..." after I paid.

 

[SydneySwan]

For those of you who have already paid, what reference did you put in? On the website it says:

Payment reference​

Use your 18-digit reference number when making your payment. You’ll find it on the payment request sent to you by HMRC.

For quarterly payments, your number will begin with 11.

For one-off payments, your number will begin with 60.

I entered the "Our Ref" 18 digit number on the letter I was sent - now I'm having a mild panic attack that it's meant to be something else and my money is sitting in the nether regions never to be seen again. I only saw the "your number will begin with..." after I paid.

No idea but when I paid for a few years in 2019 you had to pay by cheque!

 

[FlyingFiona]

No idea but when I paid for a few years in 2019 you had to pay by cheque!

They sent me a cheque last year which I had a devil of a time trying to cash here and nearly missed out on being able to do so at all because they are only valid for 6 months and Australian banks require it with no less than 3 remaining months because of the time it takes them to send the cheque back for verification. Had I known they were going to send me money I'd have directed it to my UK bank account in the first place.

 

[Rebus]

For those of you who have already paid, what reference did you put in? On the website it says:

Payment reference​

Use your 18-digit reference number when making your payment. You’ll find it on the payment request sent to you by HMRC.

For quarterly payments, your number will begin with 11.

For one-off payments, your number will begin with 60.

I entered the "Our Ref" 18 digit number on the letter I was sent - now I'm having a mild panic attack that it's meant to be something else and my money is sitting in the nether regions never to be seen again. I only saw the "your number will begin with..." after I paid.

This is taken from the HMRC website and is what I and my friends have used for making payments from overseas:

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

Pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions 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

 

[aplmac]

This is taken from the HMRC website and is what I and my friends have used for making payments from overseas:

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

Pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions 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

This is correct. I've done this for many years and the money lands OK - it's just the extended delay in seeing it posted to the website that can cause angst!

 

[FlyingFiona]

This is taken from the HMRC website and is what I and my friends have used for making payments from overseas:

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

Pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions 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

Oh hell. I better follow up with a phone call (which prob won't go through this close to the cut off) and a letter with an explanation then.

 

[Brissy1]

State pension: Deadline for National Insurance top-ups softened

A looming deadline for people to plug NI gaps, to ensure they get the full state pension, has been eased.

www.bbc.com

So...call, take a screenshot (?) and then the cut-off date doesn't apply? Pity no ph number.

 

[Princess Fiona]

So...call, take a screenshot (?) and then the cut-off date doesn't apply? Pity no ph number.

You don’t need to call.
There is an online form to fill out to say you are having difficultly getting through and request a call back.

You will need to be logged into the site to get to this page I think.

 

[aplmac]

You don’t need to call.
There is an online form to fill out to say you are having difficultly getting through and request a call back.

You will need to be logged into the site to get to this page I think.

Just remember, the Brits invented bureaucracy...

 

[Peter D]

They sent me a cheque last year which I had a devil of a time trying to cash here and nearly missed out on being able to do so at all because they are only valid for 6 months and Australian banks require it with no less than 3 remaining months because of the time it takes them to send the cheque back for verification. Had I known they were going to send me money I'd have directed it to my UK bank account in the first place.

A bit late for your case but I recently discovered that cheques can be deposited on line.

Due to a company restructure of one of my British investments, with an exchange of shares taking place, the company reimbursed any odd amount left over by a cheque for 26.15 pounds

It would not have been worth converting it locally to dollars. I have had a UK account with HSBC for decades. While trying to find out online where to send the cheque and deposit slip, the web page explained how to do it on line.

Fill in details on line and attach a photograph of both sides of the cheque. Done in seconds.

 

[ncm]

Just received a notice from HMRC advising that the Class 2 contributions will be increasing to £3.50/week from 6 April. This means the direct debit will be £14.00 or £17.50 p/m (depends on a 4 or 5 week month). Yearly total is now £185.50. Of course the pension amount will rise then too.

As an aside, the letter was dated 8 February and received today (so 4.5 weeks even stamped 'Prioritaire') showing the slow postal service. Just hope that you don't ever get a 30-day payment demand as it'll be expired by the time the letter is received.

 

[AisleSeat]

I've been meaning to look into this for a long time. Apparently I have 7 years and only need 10 for some pension? I looked up my forecast and can make up the 3 with just over 1500 pounds.

Current calculation I have for what I'd be receiving is: 200.31/35 x 10 = 57 pounds/week.

 

[AisleSeat]

You don’t need to call.
There is an online form to fill out to say you are having difficultly getting through and request a call back.

You will need to be logged into the site to get to this page I think.

Do you have a link to this form? Edit: Found it

 

[Rebus]

I've been meaning to look into this for a long time. Apparently I have 7 years and only need 10 for some pension? I looked up my forecast and can make up the 3 with just over 1500 pounds.

Current calculation I have for what I'd be receiving is: 200.31/35 x 10 = 57 pounds/week.

That seems a large sum for 3 years. Have you been employed since you left the UK and were you working up until the date when you moved to Australia? If so you would be eligible to pay at Class 2 rates which are much lower.

 

[Jleno]

I sent by snail mail the Form CF83 at the end of December and still haven't received a response. So good luck to anyone trying to start that process now.

 

[AisleSeat]

That seems a large sum for 3 years. Have you been employed since you left the UK and were you working up until the date when you moved to Australia? If so you would be eligible to pay at Class 2 rates which are much lower.

These are the gap payments: 523, 427 and 602. That's 2008-2011. I've been employed since coming to Australia but I was a student and receiving govt aid for those three years.

 

[MattA]

These are the gap payments: 523, 427 and 602. That's 2008-2011. I've been employed since coming to Australia but I was a student and receiving govt aid for those three years.

Those are the class 3 rates to top up the gap between whatever NI contributions you made in those specific years to the minimum required to bring them up to a full year. You won't be able to top up 2008-2011 at class 2 rates. However, if you can get approved to pay at class 2 you can pay for other years where you were not resident in the UK where you made no contributions at all. Class 2 rates are currently £3.45/week or £179.40 for a full year.
But you do need to apply for this (form CF83) and the criteria include that you "worked in the UK immediately before leaving", so not sure this will apply here unless you had some form of employment while studying:

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

Use our online service to apply to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad.

www.gov.uk

If you end up paying at class 3 then obviously it will be cheaper to top up part paid years than years with no contributions (a full year at class 3 is £17.45 x 52 = £907.40), but you'll have to get in before the April 5th deadline (which currently allows payments back to 2006; after that it reverts to only being able to top up for the last 6 years).

 

[AisleSeat]

Those are the class 3 rates to top up the gap between whatever NI contributions you made in those specific years to the minimum required to bring them up to a full year. You won't be able to top up 2008-2011 at class 2 rates. However, if you can get approved to pay at class 2 you can pay for other years where you were not resident in the UK where you made no contributions at all. Class 2 rates are currently £3.45/week or £179.40 for a full year.
But you do need to apply for this (form CF83) and the criteria include that you "worked in the UK immediately before leaving", so not sure this will apply here unless you had some form of employment while studying:

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

Use our online service to apply to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad.

www.gov.uk

If you end up paying at class 3 then obviously it will be cheaper to top up part paid years than years with no contributions (a full year at class 3 is £17.45 x 52 = £907.40), but you'll have to get in before the April 5th deadline (which currently allows payments back to 2006; after that it reverts to only being able to top up for the last 6 years).

Thanks for the explanation. I've put in a call back request to give me some extra time.