Voluntary National Insurance contributions

Voluntary National Insurance lets you pay to fill a gap in your record so that a year counts towards your State Pension. For 2026/27 the rates are £18.40 a week for Class 3 and £3.65 a week for Class 2 (Class 2 is for people who are self-employed). You can usually pay for gaps in the past 6 tax years, and the deadline is 5 April each year. This page gives general information only. Whether it is worth paying depends on your own record.

Who can pay, and who cannot

You may have gaps because you were employed on low earnings, unemployed and not claiming benefits, getting credits for only part of a year, self-employed with small profits, or living or working abroad. You need at least 10 qualifying years for any new State Pension, so gaps matter most to people with a short record or close to State Pension age.

You cannot pay if you have no gaps, if you are a married woman or widow paying reduced rate National Insurance, or if the deadline for the gap has passed. Checking gaps in your National Insurance record covers how to see where yours are.

Check for credits first

GOV.UK tells you to check whether you are eligible for National Insurance credits before paying, because credits can fill the year at no cost. They come automatically in some situations and need an application in others. Only after that is a payment worth considering.

The deadline

You can pay for gaps in the past 6 tax years. HMRC’s own example is that you have until 5 April 2032 to pay for a gap in 2025/26. If 5 April falls on a weekend or bank holiday, the payment has to reach HMRC by the last working day before it. Older gaps cannot be paid for.

You usually pay the current rate. The exceptions are Class 2 for the previous tax year and Class 3 for the previous 2 tax years, which are charged at the original rate for those years. At £18.40 a week, 52 weeks of Class 3 comes to £956.80 at the 2026/27 rate. Your online record shows the exact cost for each year.

Will it make a difference?

Not every year adds pension. If you are going to reach 35 qualifying years anyway through future work, the extra year may add nothing. Contracting out is another case where it may not help. The State Pension forecast flags which gaps would increase your pension and by how much. If you are below State Pension age you can also ask the Future Pension Centre. If you have reached State Pension age, contact the Pension Service.

The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week, and the pension guide explains how the State Pension is built. Dates for reaching it are in State Pension age.

How to pay

If you are below State Pension age and working in the UK, you can often pay online through the Check your State Pension forecast service. HMRC updates your record within 5 working days of that payment. You cannot use that service if you are self-employed or have lived or worked abroad.

Other routes are payment from your bank account using the 18-digit reference from HMRC, a bank transfer, or a cheque. Records update within 8 weeks for those. If you know you will have gaps in the current tax year, you can pay by monthly Direct Debit or in quarterly payments, using form CA5603. Payments stop when you reach State Pension age.

If you have lived or worked abroad, you must apply first and wait for an acceptance letter from HMRC, which includes your payment reference, before you pay anything.

Self-employed people

Class 2 is the usual choice if you are self-employed with profits under £7,105. Some self-employed jobs, such as examiners, moderators and invigilators, do not have Class 2 treated as paid, but they may want to pay voluntary contributions. If you are an NHS or school employee who also takes exam marking on the side, the Self Assessment side is covered in Do employees need to do Self Assessment?.