How to Fill National Insurance Gaps for State Pension — Voluntary NI Guide

If your state pension forecast is below the full amount, filling gaps in your National Insurance record could be the best financial decision you ever make. Here’s how it works.

Read more: See our State Pension guide for a complete overview of this topic.

What Are NI Gaps?

A gap means a tax year where you didn’t pay enough National Insurance to count as a qualifying year for state pension purposes. Each qualifying year adds about £6.89/week to your new State Pension — up to the maximum of 35 years.

Common reasons for gaps:

• Unemployment without claiming benefits
• Living or working abroad
• Low earnings (below the Lower Earnings Limit of £6,708/year, 2026/27)
• Self-employment without paying Class 2 NI
• Career breaks for caring, studying, or travel
• Early retirement before State Pension age

How to Check for Gaps

1. Go to gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record
2. Sign in with Government Gateway
3. Each year shows as “Full year”, “Year not full”, or “No record”
4. Click individual years to see details and whether they can still be filled

Cost vs Benefit of Filling Gaps

This is the key calculation. Here is the cost against the benefit:

Important: Check Before You Pay

Not every gap is worth filling. Voluntary contributions only increase your pension if:

• You have fewer than 35 qualifying years (including future years you’ll earn before State Pension age)
• You have at least 10 qualifying years in total (usually the minimum for any new State Pension)
• The year isn’t already counted through credits you haven’t claimed

How Many Years Do You Actually Need to Fill?

Calculate this before paying anything:

Example

Sarah, age 55, has 25 qualifying years. State Pension age is 67, so she has 12 more working years ahead.

• Current: 25 years
• Future: 12 years (assuming continued employment)
• Total: 37 years
• Gap to fill: 0 — she’ll exceed 35 years naturally

Sarah doesn’t need to fill any gaps because her future contributions will take her above 35 years.

Example 2

David, age 60, has 28 qualifying years. State Pension age is 67, so 7 more working years.

• Current: 28 years
• Future: 7 years
• Total: 35 years
• Gap to fill: 0 — he’ll just reach 35

But if David plans to retire at 63, he’d only get 31 years. Filling 4 gap years at £956.80 each (£3,827.20 total) would add roughly £1,434/year to his pension, recouped in about 2.7 years.

Which Gaps to Fill First

If you have multiple gaps, prioritise:

1. Oldest years first: they have the earliest deadlines (years more than 2 tax years back cost the current rate)
2. Years with partial contributions — topping up a partial year costs less than a full year
3. Years closest to expiring — the standard 6-year window means older gaps close first

When Paying Won’t Help

Check your State Pension forecast before you pay anything. Paying voluntary National Insurance won’t raise your pension if:

• your forecast already shows the full amount;
• you’ll reach enough qualifying years through work or credits before your State Pension age anyway;
• the year would be covered by National Insurance credits you haven’t claimed yet (claim those first: they’re free).

And you can’t pay voluntary contributions at all if you have no gaps, if you’re a married woman or widow paying reduced-rate National Insurance, or if the deadline for the tax year with the gap has passed.

Two cases need more care. If you were contracted out before April 2016, you may need more than 35 qualifying years to reach the full new State Pension, so extra years can still help even with 35 on your record. And if you get Pension Credit, a higher State Pension can reduce your Pension Credit by a similar amount, leaving you little or no better off.

Gaps from raising a family before 2010. Before April 2010, years spent caring for children or a sick or disabled person were protected by Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), and those years were later converted into National Insurance credits. If you cared for someone before 2010 and your record shows gaps for those years, ask HMRC whether HRP was applied before you pay to fill them.

Deadlines for Filling Gaps

How to Pay Voluntary NI

Step 1: Get Advice First

Call the Future Pension Centre on 0800 731 0175 (Monday–Friday, 8am–6pm). They will:

• Confirm which years will increase your pension
• Tell you exact costs for each year
• Provide a payment reference number

Step 2: Make Payment

Step 3: Verify

Check your State Pension forecast after paying: GOV.UK says your record is updated within 5 working days if you pay online through the forecast service, and up to 8 weeks for other payment methods.

Special Cases

NI Credits You May Not Know About

Before paying voluntary NI, check whether you qualify for free NI credits:

Self-Employed Gaps

If you were self-employed and didn’t pay Class 2 NI, you can often fill these gaps at the cheaper Class 2 rate (£3.65/week vs £18.40/week for Class 3, 2026/27). Call HMRC to check eligibility.

Living Abroad

If you’ve lived abroad, you may be able to pay voluntary Class 3 NI while overseas, or use social security agreements between the UK and other countries to fill gaps. See our State Pension Abroad Rules guide.

How Many Years You Need

State Pension by NI Years

Each qualifying year adds ~£6.89/week (£241.30 ÷ 35).

State Pension for people with pre-2016 records

The new State Pension applies only to those who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. If you reached State Pension age before that date, you receive the old basic State Pension (£184.90/week maximum in 2026/27) plus any Additional State Pension (SERPS/S2P) you built up.

For people who reached State Pension age after April 2016 but have NI contributions from before that date, a “starting amount” was calculated comparing the new and old rules, the higher figure became the starting point. This is why some people, for example those who were contracted out, need more than 35 qualifying years to reach the full new State Pension, while those whose starting amount is already at or above the full amount need no more years to receive it.

No or Few National Insurance Years

What Counts as a Qualifying NI Year?

A qualifying year is a tax year (April to April) in which you have:

• Paid Class 1 NI through employment
• Been self-employed with Class 2 NI paid or treated as paid (profits of £7,105 or more in 2026/27; Class 4 doesn’t count towards a qualifying year)
• Been credited with NI contributions (without paying them)
• Paid voluntary Class 2 or Class 3 NI contributions to fill a gap

Common NI credit scenarios:

• Claiming Child Benefit for a child under 12
• Claiming Carer’s Allowance
• Receiving Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit for limited capability for work
• Registered as unemployed and seeking work (Jobseeker’s Allowance or equivalent)
• Being a foster carer registered with an approved authority

If you have been at home caring for children or elderly relatives, you may be entitled to NI credits you have not claimed. Check this via your personal tax account on GOV.UK.

If You Cannot Reach 35 Years

If you will reach State Pension age significantly below 35 qualifying years and filling gaps is not feasible, consider:

• Pension Credit: If your total income in retirement (State Pension + private pensions + other income) is below £238.00/week for a single person (2026/27), you may qualify for Pension Credit, a means-tested top-up that guarantees a minimum income
• Private pension savings: SIPP or workplace pension contributions to supplement a reduced State Pension
• Deferring the State Pension: If you continue working, deferring the State Pension while earning adds extra weekly pension permanently

National Insurance Credits

Some NI credits are added automatically; others you need to actively claim.

Automatic credits:

Credits you need to apply for (not automatic):

Important: If you’re not working and not automatically credited (e.g., early retirement, not claiming benefits), you may have gaps forming in your NI record, and several credits above only apply if you actively claim them.

What About Before Age 16 and After State Pension Age?

You only accrue qualifying years between age 16 and State Pension age. Any work before 16 doesn’t count, and contributions after State Pension age don’t increase your State Pension.

Grandparent Childcare Credits

What Are Grandparent Childcare Credits?

When a parent claims Child Benefit, they automatically receive a National Insurance credit for each week the child is under 12. This credit counts towards their State Pension.

But here’s the thing: working parents often don’t need this credit because they’re already building NI through their job. If they earn above the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,708/year in 2026/27), the point at which a tax year starts counting as a qualifying year, they’re already getting NI credit from employment, whether or not they actually pay any NI in cash (earnings between the Lower Earnings Limit and the higher Primary Threshold of £12,570 still count as a qualifying year, just without any NI actually being deducted).

The government allows parents to transfer their unused NI credit to someone else who looks after the child, typically a grandparent.

How Much Is It Worth?

Each year of NI credits counts towards your State Pension. Here’s the maths:

If you’re under State Pension age and have gaps in your NI record, these free credits could be worth thousands of pounds over your retirement.

Who Can Claim?

The Carer (Grandparent) Must:

✅ Be aged 16 or over and under State Pension age when you provided the care ✅ Be ordinarily resident in the UK (not the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) ✅ Not already be getting NI credits another way (e.g., Carer’s Allowance gives credits automatically) ✅ Have cared for a child under 12 ✅ Be a family member of the child

Eligible family members are: a mother or father who doesn’t live with the child; grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents; aunts and uncles; brothers and sisters (including half-, step- and adopted siblings); and the current or former spouse, partner or civil partner of anyone on that list, or their son or daughter. There’s no minimum number of hours of care specified in HMRC’s eligibility rules for this credit, that “20 hours a week” test applies to the separate Carer’s Credit scheme (for people caring for someone on certain disability benefits), not to Specified Adult Childcare Credits.

The Parent Must:

✅ Be receiving Child Benefit for the child ✅ Not need their NI credit for that tax year (usually because they’re working and paying NI, or receiving other credits) ✅ Agree to transfer the credit to you

Important: The parent cannot transfer the credit if doing so would leave them without a qualifying year for their own State Pension record for that tax year. They should check their forecast first.

How to Claim

Step 1: Parent Checks Their NI Record

The parent should check whether they need the NI credit themselves. If they’re working and earning above the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,708/year in 2026/27), they’re likely building qualifying years anyway.

Check at gov.uk/check-state-pension.

Step 2: Download Form CA9176

Get the form from GOV.UK.

You need one form for each tax year you’re claiming (e.g., one for 2024/25, another for 2023/24). Note that you must wait until 31 October after the end of the tax year you’re applying for, because HMRC needs to confirm the parent already has a qualifying year.

Step 3: Fill in the Form

The form asks for:

• The grandparent’s details (National Insurance number, date of birth)
• The parent’s details (must be the person claiming Child Benefit)
• The child’s details
• Which tax year you’re claiming for
• The periods the grandparent provided care

Step 4: Both Sign the Form

The parent and the grandparent must both sign. This confirms:

• The parent agrees to transfer the credit
• The grandparent confirms they provided the care

Step 5: Send to HMRC

You fill the form in online (you can’t save your progress), then print it and post it to HMRC at the address shown on the form.

Processing time: HMRC’s online tool tells you when you can expect a reply after you’ve applied. The credit will appear on the grandparent’s NI record.

Backdating Claims

You can backdate claims all the way to 6 April 2011. This is potentially 15 years of credits you might be able to claim.

Each tax year needs a separate form CA9176.

Example: If you’ve been looking after a grandchild every Wednesday since they were born in 2015, you could claim for:

• 2015/16 (from birth)
• 2016/17
• 2017/18
• 2018/19
• 2019/20
• 2020/21
• 2021/22
• 2022/23
• 2023/24
• 2024/25
• 2025/26

That’s more than 10 years of credits. If those would otherwise be gaps, 10 extra qualifying years are worth about £3,585 a year in extra State Pension at 2026/27 rates, or roughly £71,701 over a 20-year retirement.

Common Questions

Can I claim if I’m already receiving Carer’s Allowance?

If you get Carer’s Allowance, you already receive NI credits automatically: you don’t need these childcare credits.

However, if you care for BOTH the person you claim Carer’s Allowance for AND a grandchild, you can’t get double credits. The Carer’s Allowance credits already cover you.

What if the parent works part-time?

Part-time workers may still need their NI credits if their earnings are below the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,708/year in 2026/27). Check their NI record before transferring.

Can both grandparents claim?

No: there’s only one credit for each Child Benefit claim, however many children are on it, so only one person can receive it for any week. If two grandparents share the care equally, decide who benefits most (usually whoever has more NI gaps).

What counts as “caring”?

Any time spent looking after the child while the parent works: collecting from school, daytime care, babysitting while they do shifts. HMRC’s eligibility rules for Specified Adult Childcare Credits don’t set a minimum number of hours; you simply need to have provided care and have the parent countersign confirming the periods involved.

What if we’re not related?

Specified Adult Childcare Credits are for family members only. Friends and neighbours who provide childcare cannot claim (though they may be able to claim Class 3 voluntary contributions if they want to protect their pension).

Related Guides

• Grandparent childcare NI credits
• How to Check Your State Pension Forecast
• State Pension Amount 2026/27
• State Pension Age Changes Timeline
• State Pension Abroad Rules
• National Insurance Rates 2026/27
• State Pension Only Retirement Planning