I'm writing about a 17-year shortfall in National Insurance stamps. I was self-employed for 30 years on class two contributions. I'm 69 now and I've worked since I was 15 years old, but the Government sent me a statement saying I was one stamp short here, one stamp there, and you have to pay a full year otherwise they take the whole year off you.
I've tried to contact them again but everyone is working from home. They said if I pay £8,240 before April they can give me 10 years' stamps back. I get £145 a week in state pension, I've never been on benefits and I worked for 53 years. I don't know what to do, and if I should get a loan to pay £8,240, but it would get me £50 a week extra but that would not cover the loan.
I've also got a lung condition, pulmonary fibrosis. They gave me three to five years to live at 62. I've not applied for pension credit because my wife gets a full pension. SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE YOUR PENSION QUESTION. Got a question for Steve Webb? Scroll down to find out how to contact him.
Steve Webb replies: For anyone looking for a New Year's resolution, checking if you can top up your state pension through voluntary National Insurance Contributions should certainly be a priority. The deadline for filling gaps more than six years back is 6 April 2025, so I would encourage anyone who is thinking about doing this to find out where they stand and take action before the cut-off.
