State pensioners issued 2-month warning to add £60,000 to pension

State pensioners have been issued a two month warning to add up to £60,000 to their pension pot.

His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging people to fill gaps in their National Insurance (NI) records by the deadline of April 5, 2025, potentially topping up their pensions by thousands.

Up until this date, it is possible to fill in any gaps in your NI record from April 6, 2006, onwards, but from April 6, 2025, people will only be able to make NI voluntary contributions for the previous six years, in line with normal time limits.

HMRC launched an online tool in April last year to allow people to check if they have any gaps in their NI record and calculate if making a payment will boost their State Pension. Since its launch, 37,000 people have topped up more than 68,000 years, worth £35 million.

Analysis of the digital service has shown that the average online top up payment is £1,835 and the largest weekly State Pension increase is £113.76.

So if you got the largest weekly amount of £113.76, over the course of a year this would amount to ££5,915.52 added to your pension. And if you lived another 10 years after boosting your savings, this would give you an extra £60,000 in your pension pot.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Second Permanent Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “There are just two months left to check and fill any gaps in your National Insurance record from 2006 onwards to boost your State Pension entitlement.

“Don’t delay – it is quick and easy to check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK and it could help your finances in retirement.”

NI contributions are usually collected through working and paying NI, but you can also get them if you’re claiming certain benefits. These contributions count towards your State Pension and you generally need around 35 full NI years to get the maximum amount, which is currently £221 per week for a single person.

Pensioners can use the HMRC app to check their NI record and buy back any missing NI years ahead of the April deadline. Your record will show every year since you were 16 and will say either ‘Full year’ or ‘Year is not full’ next, followed by a link to get more information. If you have any ‘not full’ years since 2006, it could be worth paying to fill these years to increase your State Pension.

If you do have any gaps in your NI record you should check if you’re eligible for National Insurance credits first before deciding to pay voluntary contributions.

You can usually pay voluntary contributions for the past six years and the deadline is April 5 each year, but you can sometimes pay for gaps from more than six years ago, depending on your age.

If you’re below State Pension age you can access your State Pension forecast on the app which will show how much you’ll get when you retire based on your NI record to date, and if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions.