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. 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: ask HMRC 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.

Set up a Direct Debit

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 only use Direct Debit to make voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions for the current tax year (6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025) and future tax years. To set up monthly payments, download and send the Direct Debit form 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. If you want to pay quarterly, you can ask HMRC online . If you cannot arrange to pay quarterly by asking HMRC online, you can contact HMRC another way . They’ll send you a payment request every July, October, January and April.

Make an online or telephone bank transfer

You can pay by bank transfer using Faster Payments, CHAPS or Bacs. 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: ask HMRC 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. Example If your name is Anne Jones, you’d write the reference as QQ123456AICJONESA 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

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: ask HMRC 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.

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

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 usually only pay for gaps in your National Insurance record for the past 6 tax years. A tax year ends on 5 April.

For example, you have until 5 April 2030 to pay for gaps for the tax year 2023 to 2024.

If you want to pay voluntary contributions for tax years 2016 to 2017 or 2017 to 2018, you have until 5 April 2025 to pay.

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’ve reached State Pension age, contact the Pension Service to find out if you’ll benefit from paying voluntary contributions.

After you’ve paid

You do not need to contact HMRC to check your payment has been received.

It will appear on your National Insurance record. This can take up to 8 weeks.

View a printable version of the whole guide

Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance

Overview

Before you pay

After you’ve paid

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Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance

Overview

Before you pay

After you’ve paid

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