Money expert Martin Lewis has urged people aged between 43 and 73 to add up to a mind boggling £80,000 to your state pension pot.
The money maestro says people have only got six months left to put in a claim and boost their state pension pot by anything between £5,400 and a bumper £79,300.
Martin put out an urgent warning to his followers explaining that the deadline to buy back missing National Insurance years in your record is rapidly approaching. It is these National Insurance records which dictate how much you’ll be paid in your weekly pension when you do retire.
To get the full state pension, currently £220.20 per week, you need to have a full National Insurance record of about 35 years.
For whatever reason – time off work, time outside the UK, earnings too low – you may not have a full record which means you may not qualify for a full state pension at the maximum payout.
There is currently a scheme whereby people missing National Insurance years can buy back up to 13 of them for roughly £835 per year, but the scheme is closing in six months from now and once the deadline passes, you can never buy back those years and you’ll forever miss out on extra money you could have had in your state pension.
Martin tweeted: “This is your 6mth warning!
“For each £825 or less you pay to buy National Insurance years, many gain £5,400+, but much closes in April. It’s the MOST LUCRATIVE thing many under age 73 can do, some gain £10,000s. The process ain’t quick, so check it now.”
He then added via his Money Saving Expert website: “The ‘new’ State Pension was introduced in 2016, for all men born after 5 April 1951 and women after 5 April 1953. To get the FULL amount, you need 35ish (it varies wildly) qualifying NI years – earned from work, looking after children, or via some benefits. Yet many miss past NI years, due to years abroad, low incomes, career breaks or not claiming credits.
“Two checks everyone should make. Check your NI record to see if you’re missing any full years since 2006.
“Old years typically cost up to £825, but can be worth an ‘inflation-proofed’ £5,000+ to you. A full voluntary class 3 (employee) NI year usually costs £800 to £825. Self-employed class 2 years cost around £160. And partial years cost a lot less.
Each extra NI year typically adds £329 annually to your State Pension. So even for a full year, it’d pay you back after two and a half years of State Pension – after that, it’s profit.
“A 66-year-old man living for the typical life expectancy would get a total of £5,400 back, a woman £6,100”.
If you were to add all 13 years, that would be £6,100 multiplied by 13 or £79,300.
Martin has previously said that it’s worth looking at for anyone aged between roughly 43 and 73, as those younger than 43 probably have enough time to make the NI years back in future anyway.
