Voluntary Contributions not appearing in my online record

Hi In late March 2024 I paid 7 years voluntary NI contributions. They have not shown up on my record. I understand there is a delay but this seems extreme. Is this normal - when should I be concerned ? Your call line is difficult with waits over 30 mins and then getting cut off. Peter

Hi,
It’s currently taking about 22 weeks from an individual making their payment of voluntary National Insurance contributions to it being recorded on their Personal Tax Account so your payment should be recorded soon.  
If you’d like to make sure that we do have your payment then you are welcome to call our National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 (from the UK) or +44 191 203 7010 (from overseas).
Thank you.

Hello, I am in the same situation and have tried multiple times calling the Helpline to confirm that you have properly recorded the payments which have been made online as the record is not reflecting these. But have not been able to get through and continue to be cut off. I have also sent a letter with evidence of payments beginning of September requesting confirmation but still no response. Concerned and not sure what to do next. Thanks.

Hi
You can find out when you can expect to receive a reply form HMRC here:
Check when you can expect a reply from HMRC
Thank you

Hi HMRC, I topped up Class 2s for my wife and I on 12/08/24 so based on 22 weeks I guess I can expect to see the payments reflected on our pension statement in mid January? But please advise me if the 22 weeks estimate is still valid-will save HMRC and myself time as I will not ring your helpline if the estimate has lengthened. Best Regards, 

I am also concerned that after going thorugh the steps needed to mae payments for missing years that after 2 months i have heard nothing , not even a conformation that my 3500 GBP payment has been received , if theres a problem then its going to be very difficult to rectify it and i worry that i might louse all that money plust the stress of having to deal with it . Phoning from outside the UK is a pointless waste of time and money , even if you do get through and willing to continue to pay for being on hold the conection gets lost beore speaking to someone . Its disgraceful that an organisation can behave this way with total impunity . I know of no other organisation that would expect clients to pay large sums of money without even an acknowlegment .

Hi
We are currently dealing with a high volume of voluntary payments.
The timescales depend on the circumstances of your payment and the National Insurance class.
If you paid for an abroad period it can take up to 29 weeks to allocate the payment to your record, if it is a domestic Class 2 payment it can take up to 29 weeks and a domestic Class 3 payment can take up to 8 weeks (based on the automated system allocating the amounts).
The domestic Class 3 payments can also be allocated over the phone, if you’d like to call us on 0300 200 3500 to do so.
However, abroad payments and Class 2 payments take 29 weeks, due to the high volume of other payments in the queue needing to be allocated.
Thank you.

I paid my voluntary contributions on 16th Aug. When I look at my gov gateway NI record it still shows the years I paid for are 'not full' and the figure given to pay is different from the amount stated in my letter. I have spent hours on hold etc. chasing this up. 22 weeks is an extraordinary amount of time to process. Presumably so long as the payment was made before the deadline it will count but still the time frame is unacceptable. Clearly more staff are needed to deal with demand.

Hi, I paid voluntary class 2 top up on 4th June 2024. It has now been more than the 29 weeks advised to allocate the payment to my record. Phoning the helpline (from abroad) is not only very costly, but extremely frustrating with the dropped calls and long waits. Since it has now passed the 29 week mark, should I assume something has gone wrong and HMRC is unable to trace my payment to my account, or, is it taking more than 29 weeks to allocate class 2 international contributions? Thanks NH

It has been 17 weeks since i settled class 2 payments. The above is helpful, as i've been trying to contact HMRC due to advice to call back after 8 weeks if the payment was not visible on the account. I'd love to confirm the following if possible, - Should we go over the April deadline, are we covered by actions taking (payments and requests etc), - If we want to continue paying type 2 payments point forward (thinking for '25), do we send to the same information given for voluntary payments to close gaps from previous years? Many thanks,

Hi cbak123,
It may take up to 8 weeks after you have made your payment of voluntary National Insurance contributions for it to be shown on your personal tax account. If it is not recorded after the 8 weeks then you can contact our National Insurance team and they will arrange for your payment to be dealt with. Please have your payment details handy when you call.
National Insurance: general enquiries
Thank you.

Hi nh1030 hussain,
Sorry for the delay in allocating your payment of voluntary contributions to your National Insurance account.  
If you could call our National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 (from the UK) or +44 191 203 7010 (from overseas) then they will be able to arrange
for your payment to be allocated.  
You should have your payment details handy when you call just in case they are needed.
If you prefer, you may send us a letter with details of how you would like your payment to be allocated.  
Our postal address is:  
PT Operations North East England,
HM Revenue & Customs,
BX9 1AN,
United Kingdom.
Thank you.

Hi gareth,
Providing that we receive your payment of voluntary contributions before the 5 April 2025 deadline then we will allocate your payment to your
National Insurance account as soon as we can.  
It does not matter if we do not deal with your payment before 5 April 2025 as we always use the date of receipt rather than the date we deal with your payment.
If you would like to call our National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 (from the UK) or +44 191 203 7010 (from overseas) then they will be able to arrange
allocation of your payment.  
You should have your payment details handy when you call just in case they are needed.
Thank you.

I sent a payment for NI voluntary contributions (top up) on 2nd July 2024 & it's still not been recorded/reflected on my account. I have tried to call on numerous occasions & am yet to speak to an actual human being. It's now 29 weeks since the payment was made & I am not confident my NI payments and revised calculations will be updated any time soon - this is dreadful!

Hi Shepherd67 - I had the same issue but contacted HMRC via webchat rather than ringing and typed 'speak to an adviser'. I got through quite quickly and they were able to allocate my payment so that it showed the next day. It might be worth trying chat rather than trying to phone. Hope this helps.

I paid My NI and tax owing together fro year 20-21 on 24/2/22. Since then I have called several times to ask when I can expect to see this on my NI statement but it is still showing as "NOT FULL. We are checking this year to see if it counts towards your pension. We’ll update your record when this is finished, you do not need to do anything." I have called the help line several times but cannot get through. I am hoping someone there can help me sort this out. Many thanks

Hi HMRC, I made a cheque payment last November (2024) to cover 12 years of Class 3 NIC shortfalls. The money has left my bank account, but my online HMRC tax account only shows one year as paid. My main question is: When is the official date HMRC records a Class 3 NIC payment as received and properly recorded? Specifically: Is it the date HMRC receives the cheque? Is it the date the funds clear in HMRC's bank account? Or is it when my online tax records are updated? Understanding the precise timing of this official recording is crucial for ensuring my NIC record is accurate before the 5th April 2025 deadline. Any details you can provide about the process would be greatly appreciated.

In March 2023 I checked my National Insurance contributions online and it showed 32 years of full contributions (I was 53 then). It said there 'are 5 years you did not contribute enough'. However, I spoke to an adviser at the time, who said that although it says there are gaps, I *do* have enough to get the full pension. She advised every couple of years to check, but when I've gone to the 'Check Your State Pension' link, it says 'year is not full' for 2020-2021, 2019-2020, 2017-2018 and 2016-2017. The message alongside those years is "We are checking this year to see if it counts towards your pension. We’ll update your record when this is finished, you do not need to do anything." When I've checked since then, the message remains the same ("We are checking this year to see if it counts towards your pension. We’ll update your record when this is finished, you do not need to do anything."). This is quite concerning. I'm sel-femployed and have always paid whatever is due. How can I be certain if there are gaps and how to close them in time please? Please don't suggest I call the helpline. There is just a recorded message on there saying that it's too busy and to go online. Like others, I cannot get through on the phone or have the query answered via webchat. If you type 'speak to an adviser' it does not understand this request.

Hi Crooty,
The date the payment was received by HMRC from your bank is the received date that will be applied to your payments of class 3 voluntary contributions. If the funds have cleared from your bank that will be the date we received the payment. Any payments made before April 2025 are paid on time but the allocation of the payment to the tax years involved may be made at a later date.
You can check when you can expect to receive a reply or the when allocations of the payment should be completed by via the online checking tool - Check when you can expect a reply from HMRC - GOV.UK
If you have made the payment before the April deadline the associated credits are applied at a later time, but you have ensured the money was received in time. Please contact us if you are at within six months to your state pension age or over the state pension age on the number below.
Number - 0300 200 3500
Overseas - 0044 191 203 7010
Open - Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm, Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays
Thank you.
 

Hi Rollergirl Seven,
We are sorry to hear you have been unable to contact an advisor to review your National Insurance record via the telephone.
We are experiencing high call volumes for payments for voluntary National Insurance payments due to the deadline.
As the deadline is approaching you can also write into HMRC including all the details of your enquiry.
Then, if you chose to pay Class 2 NICs you will not have missed the deadline:
National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
Please ensure you include your name, address, National Insurance number. I would also advise you to check with the Department for Work and Pensions to see how many more qualifying years you need to achieve a full state pension.
DWP - Future Pension Centre
Number - 0800 731 0175
Open - 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday
Web Address - www.gov.uk/future-pension-centre
Thank you