HMRC has 'softened' the deadline for their state pension top up service, meaning thousands still have time to secure an extra £113 a week.
With just one month to go before the April 5 cut-off date, the Government has announced that people will still be able to make payments after the deadline passes.
To help manage the surge in last-minute inquiries about state pension top-ups before the April 5 deadline, the Government has announced that people who log an inquiry with the Future Pension Centre on time will be able to make top-up payments after the deadline.
Currently, people on the new state pension can go back as far as the 2006/07 financial year to fill gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record, rather than the usual six-year limit.
This extension was initially set to end in April 2023, but it was then extended to July 2023, and again to April 2025 - each time due to high demand overwhelming phone lines.
The pressure on phone lines is mainly due to the complexity of deciding whether to top up and which years to target.
Peoples' state pensions could be bolstered thanks to a HMRC toolGETTY To make inquiries, individuals can call the DWP’s Future Pension Centre (for those under pension age) or the Pension Service (for those already receiving a pension). These calls often involve discussing how filling gaps in specific years affects the state pension.
The Government has now introduced an 'online call back request form' for those unable to get through ahead of the April 5 deadline.
This form allows people to request a callback from the DWP regarding voluntary National Insurance contributions for gaps in State Pension entitlement between 2006 and 2018.
DWP will respond within eight weeks, with no need for further contact with DWP or HMRC after submitting the request. If a request is made by April 5, 2025, people can still pay contributions back to April 6, 2006, even after the deadline.
A confirmation message will appear once the request is submitted, officials advise saving a screenshot of the confirmation message that appears after submitting the form.
The measure aims to address the complex nature of pension top-up decisions, which often require personalised advice.
The quickest way to check if people can benefit from filling gaps in their National Insurance record is through GOV.UK or the HMRC app. While HMRC offers an app for direct payments, it doesn’t cover all situations.
Both platforms allow people to view their State Pension forecast and identify any gaps in their contributions.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The cost and impact of filling gaps vary, as some years may have partial contributions or not increase the pension at all, especially for gaps before the new state pension system started in April 2016.
Commenting, Steve Webb, partner at pension consultants LCP said: “After the chaos in the run-up to previous deadlines, it is good that the Government has planned ahead to make sure that people do not miss out simply because they cannot get through on official phonelines to discuss state pension top-ups.
"For many people a state pension top-up will be excellent value. But it is useful to be able to discuss your options with someone who can see your NI record and in particular highlight if topping up some years would be of little or no value.
"Whilst it would be better if people could simply call ahead of the deadline and get through, at least there is now the reassurance that those who try to make contact before the deadline will still be able to make payments after the deadline has passed”.
Government data has shown the more than 37,000 online payments have been made through the service, with 65 per cent of the years topped up by customers are from 2017 onwards.
The average online top-up payment is £1,835 and the largest weekly State Pension increase is £113.76.
