State pensioners have 'six months' left to claim £5,500 boost in payments

State pensioners have been issued an urgent six-month warning over topping up National Insurance contributions. State pensioners can fill gaps in their National Insurance record with HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), they've been told.

Pension savers can boost their retirement income by filling gaps in their National Insurance records dating back to 2006. But state pensioners only have until April 5, 2025, to make any final voluntary contributions for the years between 2006 and 2018.

More than 10,000 payments worth £12.5million have been made to boost people’s state pension, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed. According to calculations by MoneySavingExpert, many people could spend £824 or less and receive £5,500 back in pension payouts.

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Those born after April 5, 1953 (women) or April 5, 1951 (men) have been urged to act. Mike Ambery, Retirement Savings Director at Standard Life, said: "After the deadline, you'll only be able to plug gaps from 2019 onwards so there could be 13 years that you will lose the ability to buy back."

Heather Suttie, 50, discovered she was short of three years' worth of National Insurance contributions due to extended studies and time spent in Tanzania. She said: "I realised I could pay to fill the gaps in my record going back to 2006 thanks to Martin Lewis, and that the extended deadline closes in April."

She said: "It only took around 30 minutes to check for NI gaps, work out if it was worth plugging them and sort it. It's so worth it." Tom Francis, head of advice at Octopus Money, also claimed: "Purchasing extra NI years can be a great way to achieve a guaranteed boost in income every year after you retire."

Ambery said: "Time moves fast and there's now less than six months to go. Paying voluntary National Insurance contributions could make a difference in retirement, but it's not right for everyone."