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.
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.
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.
