Paying voluntary Class 2 NI
Discussion
I know this subject crops up a lot, but I think some PHers have found a way through the maze.
According to the HMRC website' pension forecast I need to pay 3 more years NI which I understand is £3.15pw. It will pay back better than any investment so I need to do it.
I got to the bit that says that to pay the contributions I need an 18 digit number that HMRC will send me. https://www.gov.uk/pay-class-2-national-insurance So I need to tell them (well they know already of course but anyway...) that I need this number to send them the money. I found the Future Pension Centre 0800 731 0175, and this may be the number that other PHers had an hour's wait to get through. However after the usual menu 123 bit I just got an engaged tone, not a 'You are caller number 12' or 'Estimated wait time 49 minutes' etc.
Am I banging on the right door? Or is the number 0300 200 3500? I just want to quantify the exact amount missing and send it to them to qualify for the full state pension.
Thanks for any clarification.
According to the HMRC website' pension forecast I need to pay 3 more years NI which I understand is £3.15pw. It will pay back better than any investment so I need to do it.
I got to the bit that says that to pay the contributions I need an 18 digit number that HMRC will send me. https://www.gov.uk/pay-class-2-national-insurance So I need to tell them (well they know already of course but anyway...) that I need this number to send them the money. I found the Future Pension Centre 0800 731 0175, and this may be the number that other PHers had an hour's wait to get through. However after the usual menu 123 bit I just got an engaged tone, not a 'You are caller number 12' or 'Estimated wait time 49 minutes' etc.
Am I banging on the right door? Or is the number 0300 200 3500? I just want to quantify the exact amount missing and send it to them to qualify for the full state pension.
Thanks for any clarification.
I used 0800 731 0175 when I called FP but as you say after the options list it just gives an engaged tone & then drops the call. Maybe the queue is full? 0300 200 3500 is the HMRC NI contact number - it's the one I called to get te 18 digit reference number when FP had told me how much to pay.
Were you actually self employed & trading in the years you are trying to pay for?
Were you actually self employed & trading in the years you are trying to pay for?
Mr Pointy said:
I used 0800 731 0175 when I called FP but as you say after the options list it just gives an engaged tone & then drops the call. Maybe the queue is full? 0300 200 3500 is the HMRC NI contact number - it's the one I called to get te 18 digit reference number when FP had told me how much to pay.
The 0300 number just goes straight to a continuous tone.Mr Pointy said:
Were you actually self employed & trading in the years you are trying to pay for?
I ceased trading and started drawing from a small private pension at 55. I stopped paying Class 2 NI as my accountant said I had 'low earnings exemption'. It seems he was wrong. So I was effectively retired, but not on the state pension. I guess that makes me self-employed but not earning anything.ETA I found a form to e-mail the Future Pensions Centre and filled it in, though I have no idea if they will reply. https://www2.dwp.gov.uk/tps-directgov/en/contact-t...
Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 14th February 15:23
I used ( from the website)....verified amount of forcast , what needed to make up ..... was about a 21 minute call ( my phone says ) , lets say I was actually talking and got confirmation in 5 minutes max
Future Pension Centre helpline
Telephone: 0800 731 0175
Telephone from outside the UK: +44 (0)191 218 3600
after that called the NI people
Telephone:
0300 200 3500
Outside UK:
+ 44 191 203 7010 ( pretty much always call these type numbers over the non specific ones )
got a complete balloon 1st one after 20 minute wait ......blinkin world class idiot ...I gave up
waited 10 minutes and tried again ......12 minute wait ( bingo ! ) and got a normal , helpful and no nonsense person , carefully gave me the 18 digit number , sort code and account to pay ...even had me read back to them to check ......thankyou goodbye
Paid moneies, waited about 6 weeks .....all sorted and showing on Gateway
Future Pension Centre helpline
Telephone: 0800 731 0175
Telephone from outside the UK: +44 (0)191 218 3600
after that called the NI people
Telephone:
0300 200 3500
Outside UK:
+ 44 191 203 7010 ( pretty much always call these type numbers over the non specific ones )
got a complete balloon 1st one after 20 minute wait ......blinkin world class idiot ...I gave up
waited 10 minutes and tried again ......12 minute wait ( bingo ! ) and got a normal , helpful and no nonsense person , carefully gave me the 18 digit number , sort code and account to pay ...even had me read back to them to check ......thankyou goodbye
Paid moneies, waited about 6 weeks .....all sorted and showing on Gateway
There are four classes of National Insurance contributions (NICs):
Class 1 contributions are paid by employers and their employees.
Class 2 contributions are fixed weekly amounts paid by self-employed people.
Class 3 contributions are voluntary NICs paid by people wanting to fill gaps in their contributions record.
Class 4 contributions are paid by self-employed people on a portion of their profits.
Class 1 contributions are paid by employers and their employees.
Class 2 contributions are fixed weekly amounts paid by self-employed people.
Class 3 contributions are voluntary NICs paid by people wanting to fill gaps in their contributions record.
Class 4 contributions are paid by self-employed people on a portion of their profits.
Simpo Two said:
I ceased trading and started drawing from a small private pension at 55. I stopped paying Class 2 NI as my accountant said I had 'low earnings exemption'. It seems he was wrong. So I was effectively retired, but not on the state pension. I guess that makes me self-employed but not earning anything.
Well I was in that situation & HMRC said I wasn't actually trading so I'd have to pay Class 3 rates.Panamax said:
Class 3 contributions are voluntary NICs paid by people wanting to fill gaps in their contributions record.
Mr Pointy said:
Well I was in that situation & HMRC said I wasn't actually trading so I'd have to pay Class 3 rates.
Ah right... well let's see if paying Class 3 is any easier...!OK so we are now at: https://www.gov.uk/pay-voluntary-class-3-national-...
Click on 'Pay Now'... I get:
'What is your Class 3 National Insurance reference number? This is 18 characters and begins with 60. For example 603490017829614130. You’ll find it on your bill.'
What bill? How do I get this number? Back to the phone numbers which are either engaged or continuous dial tone?
Click on 'Pay Now'... I get:
'What is your Class 3 National Insurance reference number? This is 18 characters and begins with 60. For example 603490017829614130. You’ll find it on your bill.'
What bill? How do I get this number? Back to the phone numbers which are either engaged or continuous dial tone?
Simpo Two said:
OK so we are now at: https://www.gov.uk/pay-voluntary-class-3-national-...
Click on 'Pay Now'... I get:
'What is your Class 3 National Insurance reference number? This is 18 characters and begins with 60. For example 603490017829614130. You’ll find it on your bill.'
What bill? How do I get this number? Back to the phone numbers which are either engaged or continuous dial tone?
follow what I told you above .......Click on 'Pay Now'... I get:
'What is your Class 3 National Insurance reference number? This is 18 characters and begins with 60. For example 603490017829614130. You’ll find it on your bill.'
What bill? How do I get this number? Back to the phone numbers which are either engaged or continuous dial tone?
PM3 said:
Simpo Two said:
OK so we are now at: https://www.gov.uk/pay-voluntary-class-3-national-...
Click on 'Pay Now'... I get:
'What is your Class 3 National Insurance reference number? This is 18 characters and begins with 60. For example 603490017829614130. You’ll find it on your bill.'
What bill? How do I get this number? Back to the phone numbers which are either engaged or continuous dial tone?
follow what I told you above .......Click on 'Pay Now'... I get:
'What is your Class 3 National Insurance reference number? This is 18 characters and begins with 60. For example 603490017829614130. You’ll find it on your bill.'
What bill? How do I get this number? Back to the phone numbers which are either engaged or continuous dial tone?
0800 731 0175 - after the menus it rang three times and then went dead.
Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 14th February 15:58
PM3 said:
ohh ....tip , I just tried 0191 etc ...... nope. so i used +44 191 etc etc.......got thru . madness !
Same menus followed by engaged tone for about 10 secs then goes to continuous tone.As there seems to be no queuing system, presumably I just sit here and keep dialling until either someone answers or I reach state pension age, whichever is sooner...
Actually my other Impossible Task for the week is to try to sort out my electricity tariff, I'll have a crack at that instead.
ETA: No luck there either, I'll play computer games for the rest of the afternoon.
And they wonder why national productivity is zero.
Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 14th February 16:17
It's not just you.
When I did my top up a couple of years ago, I used the online state pension forecast and NI record to tell me what top up I needed but had to phone for the magic number to actually pay.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/pensions/article...
When I did my top up a couple of years ago, I used the online state pension forecast and NI record to tell me what top up I needed but had to phone for the magic number to actually pay.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/pensions/article...
Edited by ctdctd on Tuesday 14th February 17:50
ctdctd said:
Thanks - though that article opens up even more questions!For example: 'Fill gaps at the Class 2 rate if you can as voluntary NI for the self-employed is much cheaper than for employees - currently £163.80 per year, rather than Class 3 contributions at £824.20 per year.'
So, back to Class 2? Only the man on the end of the phone knows, it seems.
''In many cases this will boost state pension entitlement by 1/35th of the standard rate, or around £275 per year,' says Steve Webb.'
That makes it sound as if you only need 35 years contributions, which I have.
And then there is the question of 'Which years to fill in?' The HMRC website has no info on that. Only the man on the end of the phone knows, it seems.
Once I've worked out which three years and sent the money in, do I then need to keep paying NI to 67?
How did the system become such an utter shambles?
I have used 03002003500 for years and typically got through in a few minutes. The staffing situation must be worse this year. You’ll find lots of equally frustrated posters on the UK GOV HMRC forum. An HMRC admin posted this a few days ago. I can’t confirm that it is helpful but fwiw….
“
You can continue to try and reach us via telephone on 0300 200 3500
However, you can also request your reference number via post
PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
“
“
You can continue to try and reach us via telephone on 0300 200 3500
However, you can also request your reference number via post
PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
“
See bold replies
Simpo Two said:
For example: 'Fill gaps at the Class 2 rate if you can as voluntary NI for the self-employed is much cheaper than for employees - currently £163.80 per year, rather than Class 3 contributions at £824.20 per year.'
So, back to Class 2? Only the man on the end of the phone knows, it seems.
I think you need class 3 - don't think Self Employed but not trading counts or everyone would do it!
''In many cases this will boost state pension entitlement by 1/35th of the standard rate, or around £275 per year,' says Steve Webb.'
That makes it sound as if you only need 35 years contributions, which I have.
I went by the number of years my State Pension Forecast said I needed
And then there is the question of 'Which years to fill in?' The HMRC website has no info on that. Only the man on the end of the phone knows, it seems.
My NI record showed me the amounts payable for the three most recent years so I paid that
Once I've worked out which three years and sent the money in, do I then need to keep paying NI to 67?
Not if you are not employed or trading
So, back to Class 2? Only the man on the end of the phone knows, it seems.
I think you need class 3 - don't think Self Employed but not trading counts or everyone would do it!
''In many cases this will boost state pension entitlement by 1/35th of the standard rate, or around £275 per year,' says Steve Webb.'
That makes it sound as if you only need 35 years contributions, which I have.
I went by the number of years my State Pension Forecast said I needed
And then there is the question of 'Which years to fill in?' The HMRC website has no info on that. Only the man on the end of the phone knows, it seems.
My NI record showed me the amounts payable for the three most recent years so I paid that
Once I've worked out which three years and sent the money in, do I then need to keep paying NI to 67?
Not if you are not employed or trading
Kirkmoly said:
I have used 03002003500 for years and typically got through in a few minutes. The staffing situation must be worse this year. You’ll find lots of equally frustrated posters on the UK GOV HMRC forum. An HMRC admin posted this a few days ago. I can’t confirm that it is helpful but fwiw….
“
You can continue to try and reach us via telephone on 0300 200 3500
However, you can also request your reference number via post
PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
“
Brilliant, I'll do that tomorrow. Maybe with that and the e-mail I can get through.“
You can continue to try and reach us via telephone on 0300 200 3500
However, you can also request your reference number via post
PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
“
The stupidity of the whole thing is that The System KNOWS your shortfall, it just can't tell you. You should at least get a letter once a year with a pension projection and 'NI demand' so you can act quickly and easily.
Would I have had the 18-digit number in 1991 when I went self-employed? If so, perhaps I can resuscitate it?
ctdctd said:
I think you need class 3 - don't think Self Employed but not trading counts or everyone would do it!
Hmm, so it would be 3 years at Class 3 (expensive) rate, or 3+6 years at Class 2 (cheap) rate...simpotwo said:
Once I've worked out which three years and sent the money in, do I then need to keep paying NI to 67?
Not if you are not employed or tradingI called the Pensions Forecast number this afternoon and encountered the same issues OP. Basically given options but either went immediately dead after I’d selected the required department, or engaged tone and then cut off. Just kept trying and eventually got through to the queue......”thanks for holding etc”. Took 30 minutes but eventually spoke to a helpful chap and he was happy to take the time to fully explain, although could not offer any direct advice.
They recommend ringing at 8am to and the wait should be less. The gent I spoke to offered to transfer me directly to obtain the required payment info to facilitate the voluntary contribution. Not sure whether I’d have bypassed a second queue, but I needed to digest the information so I will need to contact the National Insurance general enquiries separately.
They recommend ringing at 8am to and the wait should be less. The gent I spoke to offered to transfer me directly to obtain the required payment info to facilitate the voluntary contribution. Not sure whether I’d have bypassed a second queue, but I needed to digest the information so I will need to contact the National Insurance general enquiries separately.
RLE said:
I called the Pensions Forecast number this afternoon and encountered the same issues OP. Basically given options but either went immediately dead after I’d selected the required department, or engaged tone and then cut off. Just kept trying and eventually got through to the queue......”thanks for holding etc”. Took 30 minutes but eventually spoke to a helpful chap and he was happy to take the time to fully explain, although could not offer any direct advice.
They recommend ringing at 8am to and the wait should be less. The gent I spoke to offered to transfer me directly to obtain the required payment info to facilitate the voluntary contribution. Not sure whether I’d have bypassed a second queue, but I needed to digest the information so I will need to contact the National Insurance general enquiries separately.
That's great, I'll try again tomorrow. Option 1 and Option 2 (both about pension estimates) were very similar and I wasn't sure which to use - though neither succeeded. Don't suppose you remember which option you used?They recommend ringing at 8am to and the wait should be less. The gent I spoke to offered to transfer me directly to obtain the required payment info to facilitate the voluntary contribution. Not sure whether I’d have bypassed a second queue, but I needed to digest the information so I will need to contact the National Insurance general enquiries separately.
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