State pensioners born before 1953 urged to come forward for free £1,193 payment

A HMRC rule change will bring with it a 2025 deadline - with state pensioners told they are just months away from losing the ability to boost their state pension. People have just under five months left to boost their state pension payments.

The opportunity for potentially significant Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) state pension increases will end on April 5, 2025. The extended deadline has allowed people more time to consider what is right for them and make their contributions. Men born after April 6, 1951 and women born after April 6, 1953 are eligible to make voluntary NI contributions to boost their New State Pension.

Some people may be entitled to NI credits rather than needing to pay contributions, so they will need to check and consider what is right for them.HMRC said further analysis of the use of the online service shows the majority (51%) of customers topped up one year of their NI record, with the average online payment being £1,193.

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Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds said: “We want pensioners of today and tomorrow to enjoy the dignity and support they deserve in retirement. That’s why I urge everyone to check if they could benefit by filling gaps before the deadline passes. Using our online tool means only a few clicks could make a huge difference to your future.”

Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners, the online investment platform, said: “People typically need at least 10 qualifying years of NI (national insurance) contributions to receive any state pension at all and at least 35 years to receive the full new state pension - though they don’t need to be consecutive years.

“Plugging gaps can be quite an expensive process, so it is important to assess whether you actually need to buy back any missing years. This will depend on how many more years you plan to work, and whether you are eligible for NI tax credits, which fill the gaps, such as those who have been sick, were unemployed or took time out to raise a family or care for elderly relations.

“Plugging gaps in your record is relatively straightforward since the Government rolled out its new NI payments services in April this year - a State Pension forecast tool that has been checked by 3.7m since its launch.”