Martin Lewis issues HMRC State Pension warning

Martin Lewis and his Money Saving Expert team are warning that there are only a few months left to boost your State Pension. People can carry out a very quick but essential check to see if they're missing any National Insurance contributions dating back to 2006, and plugging any gaps could mean you're thousands of pounds better off overall.

Those hoping to get the full new State Pension generally need a minimum of 35 full national insurance years which can be earned in a number of ways such as being employed or receiving qualifying benefits. Despite this, there are still a lot of people who do not have enough years to claim the full amount of £221.20 a week.

Martin said: "Boosting your state pension by back-claiming or buying missing National Insurance years is one of the single most lucrative things you can do. Many people have been in touch to say they're likely to gain £10,000s from it.

"So it's frustrating that HMRC now says its streamlined online process won't be available to everyone in time for the likely rush ahead of the 5 April deadline. This is a worry. Huge demand meant phone lines were clogged in the run up to previous deadlines – so much so that the original April 2023 cut-off date was pushed back twice to stop people missing out – and it's that same deadline that now approaches.

"Many have blamed / credited me for that huge demand, because I campaign on MSE and on my TV show urging people to check this out. In truth I do that message regularly when there's no deadline too, but deadlines make it resonate far more strongly.

"I am concerned we will have similar issues again – and while I'm glad some people can now do it online as well as call – there are still too many who will be forced to get stuck in phone queues. There may be a need to extend it again without the full online access."

How to check for missing NI contributions

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) launched an online tool earlier this year to quicken the process and make it more accessible to check for missing contributions. However, the government department warned that many will be unable to get access to the tool before April 5, 2025 - the deadline to plug the gap.

HMRC highlighted that a wide variety of people are currently unable to use the tool, such as if they're already over the state pension age or eligible to apply for Home Responsibilities Protection. If this is the case, you will be urged to call HMRC to check and purchase NI years.

HMRC's online tool can be found here. A HMRC spokesperson said: "Those unable to use the online tool can apply over the phone. We always prioritise resources as needed to manage spikes in demand on our helplines, particularly for upcoming deadlines."