Martin Lewis urges Brits born before 1979 and says 'think about it'

The Money Saving Expert has issued a warning to anyone who is yet to claim their state pension

Martin Lewis has issued a warning to Brits born before 1979 - think about forking out £800. While he is not usually in the habit of telling people to spend, rather than save, Martin says 'think about it'

He urged people over the age of 45 to carry out a crucial "check" and consider making a payment of £800.

The founder of the MoneySavingExpert.com urged this action while presenting an episode of ITV's Good Morning Britain, where he highlighted that certain Britons might miss out on the full state pension. He strongly recommended checking National Insurance records due to a looming significant deadline approaching.

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Currently, to qualify for the full new state pension, individuals require 35 qualifying years in their National Insurance recordsome may need even more. At minimum, 10 years are needed to qualify for any pension.

Gaps in one's record can lead to receiving significantly less than expected, but opportunities exist to buy additional National Insurance years or claim National Insurance credits to fill these gaps.

Presently, back payments for missing National Insurance years can go as far back as 2006, but post-April 2025, it'll only be possible to buy up to the last six tax years, Lewis warned. Without taking action to address gaps before this, you could forfeit thousands in state pension payments, reports the Mirror.

During his appearance on Good Morning Britain, Lewis informed viewers that the current top-up fee for a missed qualifying year is £824. This will raise a person's annual pre-tax state pension entitlement by approximately £300, which over two decades, amounts to an extra £6,000.

Martin advised: "If you have gaps between 2006 and 2018, you need to think about it this year because you can only do it until next April. If you're under 45 this probably isn't worth doing, unless you've got very cheap partial years."

He added that those born in 1979 or earlier should consider checking their records.