To get the full State Pension when you retire, you have to have made enough National Insurance, or NI, contributions. Many people don’t think about this until they’re close to retirement, when it can be too late to make any changes, but checking early can save you a lot of stress later on.
Here’s what you need to know.
How Many Years Do You Need?
To get the full new State Pension, you usually need 35 qualifying years of NI contributions. A qualifying year means you were either:
- Working and paying National Insurance
- Getting NI credits, such as if you were unemployed, sick, or caring for someone.
- Paying voluntary NI contributions
If you have fewer than 35 years, you’ll get less than the full amount. You need at least 10 qualifying years to get anything at all.
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How to Check Your NI Record
The good news is it’s easy to check if you have enough years. You can:
- Visit the UK government’s website and use the State Pension forecast tool.
- Check your National Insurance record to see how many years you have and if there are any gaps
What If You Have Gaps?
If you find gaps in your record, don’t panic. You might be able to:
- Pay voluntary contributions to fill the missing years. These are known as Class 3 contributions. By paying a set amount for each missing year, you can turn a non-qualifying year into a qualifying one.
- Get credits if you were eligible for them but didn’t claim. For example, if you were claiming benefits like Jobseeker’s Allowance, caring for someone or receiving Child Benefit, you might have earned enough NI credits that count towards your pension. If you didn’t automatically receive these credits, you may still be able to apply for them.