HMRC has warned there are only two months left to check if you can boost your state pension payments by potentially thousands of pounds. You entitlement to the state pension depends on how many years of National Insurance contributions you have built up over time. If you have gaps in your record, then you won't be entitled the full state pension. The full new state pension is worth £221.20 a week, and the full basic state pension is £169.50 per week.

Most people need 35 qualifying years on their National Insurance record to get the full new state pension, and ten years to receive anything at all. For the old state pension, you normally need 30 qualifying years if you're a man who was born between 1945 and 1951, or 44 qualifying years if you're a man who was born before 1945. Have you been able to successfully top up your state pension? Let us know by emailing: levi.winchester@reachplc.com.

If you’re a woman, you usually need 30 qualifying years if you were born between 1950 and 1953, or 39 qualifying years if were born before 1950. At the moment, you can buy missing National Insurance years dating back to 2006 - but after April 5, 2025, you will only be able to go back six tax years. The latest data from HMRC shows that 37,000 people have topped up more than 68,000 years worth of National Insurance contributions, worth £35million, since last April. It normally costs £824 to buy a missing National Insurance year and this adds up to £328 each year to your pre-tax state pension. If you're missing partial years, it will cost you less. If you think you may be missing National Insurance years, you should check your state pension forecast on GOV.UK.

If you think you'd benefit from plugging any gaps in your National Insurance record and you're under state pension age, you can contact the free Future Pension Centre on 0800 731 0175. If you're already at state pension age and not receiving the full state pension, you can contact the free Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469. It is worth enquiring first before buying any missing years, as you may not need to spend money buying National Insurance contributions. Some people can get free National Insurance credits that can plug gaps in their record - for example, if you were claiming statutory sick pay and not earning enough for a qualifying year, or if you were claiming work-related benefits or Child Benefit. You can find more examples of ways to get free National Insurance credits on GOV.UK. You should also check if the gains from buying extra years may be reduced if it pushes you into the higher 40% tax bracket.