You may be able to pay voluntary Class 3 contributions to fill gaps in your National Insurance record to qualify for the State Pension. This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg) . You can only pay for gaps in your National Insurance record for the past 6 tax years. The deadline is 5 April each year. For example, you have until 5 April 2031 to pay for gaps for the tax year 2024 to 2025. Before you pay Check if you’re eligible for National Insurance credits - it could mean you do not have to pay. You can then check your National Insurance record and pension forecast to find out: if you have any gaps if you’re eligible to pay voluntary contributions if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions how much it will cost if you can pay online Voluntary contributions do not always increase your State Pension. If you’re below state pension age, you can also contact the Future Pension Centre to find out if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions. If you’ve reached State Pension age, contact the Pension Service instead. After you’ve paid Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment. This can take up to 5 working days if you pay online using the Check your State Pension forecast service. For all other payment methods, it can take up to 8 weeks. Payments from outside the UK may take longer.

Pay online through the Check your State Pension forecast service

You may be able to pay voluntary contributions online through the State Pension forecast service if you’re both: below State Pension age working in the UK You can do this by signing in to your account . You can also check: if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions if you can pay online You cannot use this service if you are self employed or if you have lived or worked abroad. After you’ve paid Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment. This can take up to 5 working days. Other ways to pay if you cannot use this service If you’re over State Pension age Contact the Pension Service to find out if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions. If you’ve lived or worked abroad, contact the International Pension Centre instead. If you’re self employed You may be able to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions instead. If you’ve lived or worked abroad Find out how to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions if you’ve lived or worked abroad . If you’re over State Pension age, or within 4 months of reaching it, contact the International Pension Centre for advice instead. If you live in the Isle of Man Find out how to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions on the Isle of Man government website .

Pay online using your bank account

You can pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance directly using your online or mobile bank account. You’ll need: your online banking details the 18-digit reference number on your HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) payment request If you do not have an 18-digit reference number, you can: pay using the Check your State Pension forecast service , or use it to get a reference number ask HMRC for your reference number online phone the National Insurance enquiries line if you cannot ask HMRC online Your payment may be delayed if you use the wrong reference number. Pay now The payment is usually instant but can take up to 2 hours to show in your bank account. If 5 April falls on a weekend or bank holiday, make sure your payment reaches HMRC on the last working day before it. After you’ve paid Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment. This can take up to 8 weeks.

Set up regular payments

If you know you’ll have gaps in your National Insurance record in the current tax year, you can make regular payments to cover the shortfall. You can either: pay by monthly Direct Debit make quarterly payments (every 3 months) Pay by monthly Direct Debit You can only use Direct Debit to pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions for the current tax year (6 April 2025 to 5 April 2026) and future tax years. To set up monthly payments, download and send the regular payments application form (CA5603) to HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ). The address is on the form. Allow 21 days to set up a new Direct Debit. HMRC will send you a letter telling you when payments will be taken and how much they will be. Payments appear on your statement as ‘ HMRC NI-DD’. Your payments will usually start in May. You can pay arrears for the current tax year through your first payment if you set up the Direct Debit after May. If you’ve not used your Direct Debit for 2 years or more, check with your bank that it is still set up. Stopping your Direct Debit payments You can cancel your Direct Debit at any time. HMRC will stop collecting payments when either you: are old enough to get your State Pension have paid the maximum allowable amount of voluntary contributions Make quarterly payments If you want to pay quarterly, you can: use the regular payments application form (CA5603) , select quarterly payments, then post it to the address on the form phone HMRC and say you want to make quarterly payments HMRC will send you a payment request every July, October, January and April. Stopping your quarterly payments You can contact HMRC and ask them to stop your payments at any time. HMRC will stop sending payment requests when you are old enough to get State Pension. After you’ve paid Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment. This can take up to 8 weeks.

Make an online or telephone bank transfer

You can make a bank transfer using Faster Payments, CHAPS or Bacs: from your online bank account by phoning your bank Make your payment to the following HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ) bank account, unless you’re paying from an overseas account: sort code - 08 32 20 account number - 12001004 account name - HMRC NIC Receipts Payment reference Use your 18-digit reference number when making your payment. You’ll find it on the payment request sent to you by HMRC . For quarterly payments, your number will begin with 11. For one-off payments, your number will begin with 60. If you do not have an 18-digit reference number, you can: pay using the Check your State Pension forecast service , or use it to get a reference number ask HMRC for your reference number online phone the National Insurance enquiries line if you cannot ask HMRC online How long it takes Payments by Faster Payments (online or telephone banking) usually reach HMRC on the same or next day, including weekends and bank holidays. CHAPS payments usually reach HMRC the same working day if you pay within your bank’s processing times. Bacs payments usually take 3 working days. Overseas payments Use the following details to make a payment if your account is overseas: Business Identifier Code ( BIC ) - BARCGB22 account number ( IBAN ) - GB49 BARC 2020 4830 9447 93 account name - HMRC NIC Receipts Overseas payment reference Use your National Insurance number followed by ‘IC’, your surname then your initial. If your bank limits you to a certain amount of characters, you should use your National Insurance number followed by ‘IC’ and as much of your surname as possible. Examples If your name is Anne Jones, you’d write the reference as QQ123456AICJONESA If your name is John Douglas-Hamilton and your National Insurance number is QQ123456A, you’d write the reference as QQ123456AICDOUGLAS-HAMILTONJ If you’re an employer paying for an employee living abroad, you should use your 13-character employer number. Banking address HMRC ’s banking address is: Barclays Bank PLC 1 Churchill Place London United Kingdom E14 5HP After you’ve paid Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment. This can take up to 8 weeks.

Pay at your bank or building society

Pay at a branch by cash or cheque. You’ll need the payslip HM Revenue and Customs ( HMRC ) sent with your payment request. Make your cheque payable to ‘HM Revenue and Customs only’. Write your 18-digit reference number on the back of your cheque. You’ll find the reference number on the payslip provided by HMRC . If you do not have an 18-digit reference number, you can: pay using the Check your State Pension forecast service , or use it to get a reference number ask HMRC for your reference number online phone the National Insurance enquiries line if you cannot ask HMRC online HMRC will accept your payment on the date you make it, and not the date it reaches HMRC ’s account, if you pay between Monday and Friday. After you’ve paid Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment. This can take up to 8 weeks.

Send a cheque through the post

You can pay by sending a cheque to: HM Revenue and Customs National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office BX5 5BD Allow 3 working days for your payment to reach HMRC . What to include HMRC ’s payment request to you will include a payslip with an 18-digit reference number on it. Send the payslip along with your cheque. Write your 18-digit reference number on the back of the cheque. Do not fold the payslip or cheque, or fasten them together. If you want a receipt, include a note asking for one. If you do not have an HMRC payslip Include a note with: your name, address and phone number how much you’re paying the period you’re paying for your 18-digit reference number or National Insurance number If you do not have an 18-digit reference number, you can: ask HMRC online phone the National Insurance enquiries line if you cannot ask HMRC online After you’ve paid Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment. This can take up to 8 weeks.

Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance

Overview

You may be able to pay voluntary Class 3 contributions to fill gaps in your National Insurance record to qualify for the State Pension.

This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).

You can only pay for gaps in your National Insurance record for the past 6 tax years. The deadline is 5 April each year.

For example, you have until 5 April 2031 to pay for gaps for the tax year 2024 to 2025.

Before you pay

Check if you’re eligible for National Insurance credits - it could mean you do not have to pay.

You can then check your National Insurance record and pension forecast to find out:

if you have any gaps
if you’re eligible to pay voluntary contributions
if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions
how much it will cost
if you can pay online

Voluntary contributions do not always increase your State Pension.

If you’re below state pension age, you can also contact the Future Pension Centre to find out if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions.

If you’ve reached State Pension age, contact the Pension Service instead.

After you’ve paid

Your National Insurance record and personal tax account will be updated after HMRC gets the payment.

This can take up to 5 working days if you pay online using the Check your State Pension forecast service. For all other payment methods, it can take up to 8 weeks. Payments from outside the UK may take longer.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance

Overview

Before you pay

After you’ve paid

Is this page useful?

Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK

Cookies on GOV.UK

Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance

Overview

Before you pay

After you’ve paid

Related content

Is this page useful?

Help us improve GOV.UK

Help us improve GOV.UK