With less than two months left for citizens to check in and address any contribution gaps in the past 20 years, government’s tax agency is urging people to go online

In the past 10 months digital services offered by HM Revenue and Customs have racked up 68,673 years of National Insurance top-ups.

The tax agency, alongside the Department for Work and Pensions, is now stepping up the communications campaign to encourage citizens to close any gaps in their NI contributions since 2006 – ahead of the 5 April deadline for doing so. In order to access a full state pension, citizens require 30 years’ worth of NI payments.

To address any gaps over the past two decades, since April 2024 a joint digital service launched by HMRC and DWP has been used by 4.3 million people wishing to check their state pension forecast and how payments might be impacted by any missing years of tax contributions. Since the online checker was created, 37,000 people around the country have paid a cumulative total of £35m, according to exchequer secretary to the Treasury James Murray.

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“From October 2024 we have been running a significant communications campaign to raise awareness of the opportunity for customers to buy back missing National Insurance years, ahead of the 5 April 2025 deadline,” Murray added. “Activity has included a wide range of direct communications, messages on our telephony lines, digital platforms, stakeholder engagement, and press/social media to reach our target audience in a fully integrated way. There have been over 20,000 views of HMRC’s YouTube video in five months. Stakeholder resource packs have been sent out via FCDO and British Embassies to support customers who may have lived and worked abroad and through Pension providers. HMRC has also provided information bulletins directly to more than 2 million employers and other representative organisations.”

As the cut-off for historic contributions draws ever-nearer, the minister said that the government awareness drive “will step… up further to remind customers that there are only two months left to make any additional contributions”.

Murray was asked about comms activities in a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling.

“During this [coming] period and where appropriate we will supplement this extensive activity with strategic and targeted paid-for activity to speak to elements of the audience who may not have been reached,” the minister said. “It is not yet possible to provide a final cost for this activity, but all costs involved in the campaign will be published as part of the regular transparency reports on gov.uk.”

Data released by HMRC indicates that about two-thirds of payments made so far relate to years from 2017 onwards, while the average top-up is £1,835. From 6 April onwards, the system will revert to allowing back-payments for only the six preceding years.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC second permanent secretary and deputy chief executive, said: “There are just two months left to check and fill any gaps in your National Insurance record from 2006 onwards to boost your State Pension entitlement. Don’t delay – it is quick and easy to check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK and it could help your finances in retirement.”