Gaps in your National Insurance record: £18.40 a week and only six years back

Gaps in a National Insurance record appear quietly: a year on low earnings, a year out of work with no benefits, a spell abroad, self-employment with small profits. You can pay for those years later, but the rules are tight and the payment does not always pay off.

Where do gaps come from and why do they matter?

A gap is a tax year that does not count as a qualifying year. According to GOV.UK this happens if you were employed but had low earnings; unemployed and not claiming benefits; getting National Insurance credits for less than a full tax year; self-employed but did not pay contributions because of small profits; or living or working outside the UK.

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The consequence is straightforward: you usually need at least 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension at all. The full rate of the new State Pension is £241.30 a week, and if your record started after April 2016 you need 35 qualifying years to reach it. If you were contracted out before 2016, you will usually need more.

How do you check your record?

Use the Check your National Insurance record service on GOV.UK. It shows four things at once: whether you have gaps; how much it would cost to fill them; whether you would benefit from paying; and whether you can pay online.

Before paying, GOV.UK advises checking whether you are eligible for National Insurance credits instead — they are free and cover situations such as caring for a child or a sick person. If the record itself looks wrong, contact HMRC.

Who cannot pay voluntary contributions?

You cannot pay if you have no gaps in your record (unless you are getting Class 3 credits and are eligible to pay Class 2); if you are a married woman or widow paying the reduced rate; or if the deadline for that period has already passed.

There is a separate warning on GOV.UK: voluntary contributions do not always increase your State Pension — for example if you were contracted out. If you are below State Pension age, check your State Pension forecast or contact the Future Pension Centre first. If you have reached State Pension age, contact the Pension Service. If you live abroad and are within six months of State Pension age, contact the International Pension Centre.

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What does it cost in 2026/27?

The rates for the 2026 to 2027 tax year are £3.65 a week for Class 2 and £18.40 a week for Class 3. You usually pay the current rate when you make a voluntary contribution.

There is one exception. If you are paying Class 2 for the previous tax year, or Class 3 for the previous two tax years, you pay the original rate for those years. For anything earlier you pay the 2026 to 2027 rate.

A special Class 2 rate applies if you are a share fisherman or a volunteer development worker.

What is the deadline?

You can only pay voluntary contributions for the past six years, and the deadline is 5 April each year. So you have until 5 April 2032 to fill gaps for the 2025 to 2026 tax year.

Pensions are not the only reason to pay. GOV.UK lists the cases where voluntary contributions make sense: you are close to State Pension age and short of qualifying years; you know you will not reach the required number during your working life; you are self-employed with annual profits below £7,105; you live outside the UK but want to qualify for the State Pension and certain benefits; or you are not eligible for National Insurance credits.

Some jobs do not have Class 2 contributions treated as paid, though the people doing them may still want to pay voluntarily: examiners, moderators, invigilators and people who set exam questions; landlords eligible to pay Class 2; ministers of religion without a salary or stipend; and people who make investments for themselves or others, but not as a business and without a fee or commission.