Checking gaps in your National Insurance record

You can check your National Insurance record for free on gov.uk by signing in with a Government Gateway account or your HMRC personal tax account. It lists each tax year, whether it counts towards your State Pension, and any years with gaps. A gap is a year that does not count, usually because you paid too little or nothing and had no credits. You need at least 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension, and 35 for the full amount.

What the online record shows

The service shows what you have paid up to the start of the current tax year, any National Insurance credits you have received, and which years have gaps. It also tells you whether paying voluntary contributions would help, how much that would cost, and how your State Pension forecast would change. You may be asked to prove your identity, normally with photo ID such as a passport or driving licence.

If you would rather have paper, you can ask for a printed statement online (you need your National Insurance number), by phone or by writing to HMRC. You have to say which years you want, and you cannot request the current or previous tax year. If you paid National Insurance in the Isle of Man, your record will not show those contributions if you reach State Pension age after 5 April 2016, so you contact the Isle of Man office separately.

Signing in through the personal tax account is usually quickest, because the same login also shows your State Pension forecast.

What makes a year count

A qualifying year is one in which you were working and paying National Insurance, getting National Insurance credits (for example while unemployed, ill, a parent or a carer), or paying voluntary contributions. The new State Pension needs 10 qualifying years to pay anything. If your record started after April 2016 you need 35 for the full rate, which is £241.30 a week. If you were contracted out before 2016, you will usually need more than 35.

Part-time public sector staff can hit a quirk here. Earnings between the Lower Earnings Limit and the point where National Insurance starts still count as a qualifying year without any deduction, which the National Insurance explained guide sets out. Earnings below the Lower Earnings Limit do not count by themselves, so someone on very short hours in one job, such as a few hours of lunchtime supervision, may see a gap unless credits or other work fill the year.

Common reasons for a gap

HMRC lists several: low earnings while employed, unemployment without claiming benefits, getting credits for only part of a year, self-employment with profits too small to pay contributions, and living or working outside the UK. In a public sector career, unpaid career breaks and time spent living or working abroad are the likeliest causes.

Credits

Credits fill gaps without you paying anything. Some arrive automatically and some you have to apply for. Class 1 credits count towards the State Pension and may help with some other benefits, such as new style Jobseeker’s Allowance. Class 3 credits count towards the State Pension only. Credits from registering for Child Benefit can be transferred to a spouse or partner living with you, provided that person has paid a year’s National Insurance.

Check your record for credits before you consider paying anything. If you applied for credits and they are missing, contact the office where you applied. If you disagree with a credit decision, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration.

If a gap is real

Where credits do not apply, you may be able to pay voluntary contributions to fill the year. They do not always raise your pension, for example if you were contracted out in that period, so look at the forecast figure for each year before deciding. The details, deadlines and costs are in voluntary National Insurance contributions. The State Pension guide explains how the forecast is built.

If you are under State Pension age, the Future Pension Centre can tell you whether paying would benefit you. If you have reached State Pension age, contact the Pension Service instead. Either way, ask before paying.

If you think the record is wrong, contact HMRC with payslips or P60s for the years in question. Years in which you changed employer are a sensible place to start.