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national insurance contributions

Filling Gaps in National Insurance Contributions extended to 2025

We previously notified you that the deadline was approaching for individuals aged 45 to 72 to fill in gaps in their National Insurance Contribution (NIC) history. For those under 45, it will generally not make sense to pay for additional years as you should have sufficient remaining working life to achieve the maximum number of NIC years (although other factors could affect this such as if you have moved overseas). The initial deadline was April 5th 2023, which due to the current overload of government helplines, was subsequently extended to 31st July 2023 and has now been further extended to 5th April 2025 as advisers have been unable to provide the necessary advice.

How do I pay a voluntary National Insurance contribution?

 National Insurance (NI) contributions are made in a variety of ways:
  • Class 1 contributions are paid by employers and their employees
  • Class 2 contributions are fixed weekly amounts paid by self-employed people.
  • Class 3 contributions are voluntary NICs paid by people wanting to fill gaps in their contribution record.
  • Class 4 contributions are paid by self-employed people on their profits.