How to Pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions from Abroad

Hi Moray Vincent,
If you could send a letter to us to advise that you have paid the voluntary class 3 contributions and that you’d like them to be reallocated at the voluntary class 2 rate then our International Team will be able to deal with this.
Thank you.

Hi Moray Vincent,
Unfortunately, without checking your personal records, I am unable to confirm if we have received the payment you made on 3 April 2023.
You will need to contact the National Insurance contributions helpline on +44 (0) 191 203 7010. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm.
I can confirm that voluntary class 2 National Insurance contributions count towards pension in the same way that voluntary class 3 National Insurance contributions count.
However, HMRC cannot provide an estimate of what your pension will be if you pay voluntary National Insurance contributions, you will need to contact the Department for Work and Pensions to obtain this information prior to making any voluntary payments. Their contact number is +44 (0) 191 218 7777. Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. 
Thank you.

 

Hi HMRC 20, Thank you for your replies of the last few days. I have already written and sent the letter you suggest asking for my contributions already made against the Class 3 schedule to be allocated against the Class 2 schedule (although perhaps not in the clearest form "if the payment schedule in the letter you sent me is correct please take these monies from the monies I have already sent you and refund the difference, here are my bank account details"). Against this background can you advise me on the following points: Is it worth my sending an additional letter clarifying the point you make about my having paid Class 3 contributions and I only need to pay Class 2 or will this already be covered? I'm very happy to write another letter if you think it will help. To whom do I address any letter I write? e.g. FAO: "International Team" PT Operations NE, FAO "my case worker's name" PT Operations NE, FAO "the admin officer who wrote the last letter to me" PT Operations NE, FAO something else (and also confirm I write to PT Operations NE. Given, I have written several letters now to HMRC and I have included the references on the letters sent to me by HMRC in all these letters, are all these letters in "the system" and linked? For example is there a central database in HMRC where all the correspondence is scanned and held and the person dealing with it can simple access all previous correspondence on the issue or is the system manual and they have to retrieve physical case notes from a file. I ask because I can easily send all previous correspondence on the issue to make things easier for the person dealing with it. Do you have a recommendation? As regards your second reply: I don't think I need to contact the helpline as I have a letter from HMRC saying that they have received monies from me and a bank statement the monies have been sent. In my previous correspondence with HMRC I have sent HMRC a copy of the letter they have sent me saying they received monies from me and a copy of my bank statement showing the monies leaving my account so I am not sure what the helpline can help me with? If "Class 2 National Insurance contributions count towards pension in the same way that voluntary class 3 National Insurance contributions count" then does this not mean my pension will be as per the HMRC portal if I pay Class 2 contributions? Given Class 2 Contributions are less than Class 3, the decision for me to make (or not make) the contributions will be the same so I'm not sure why I need to contact Work and Pensions? I'm generally reluctant to call the numbers you suggest as all reports say there are enormous wait times and the price of international phone calls from Australia is expensive (when you are on hold for hours) and it would entail me being up most of the night because of time differences? Also please correct me if I am wrong the helplines can only give out information, they can't actually action things such as "we've pulled up your file, I'm now updating the website to show the contributions you have made and I'm pressing the button to refund the extra monies you paid to your bank account now. Both your bank account and the website should show the results in a couple of days"? My point is I think we both know what needs to be done and we are just discussing how best to get it actually done. I'll follow any advice you can give me to have this issue actioned expeditiously now I think we know what needs to be done Best, Moray

Hi HMRC, Can you advise on the points I raised in my post of 2.5 weeks ago namely: 1. Do you think it would be of benefit to write another letter clarifying the situation? 2. If so to whom should I address it 3. Is correspondence sent to HMRC linked in your systems if reference numbers are quoted and if there is doubt on this should I send all previous correspondence as a bundle? 4. Does making Class 2 contributions vs Class 3 contributions get you the same pension? 5. Can the persons on the helplines actually action things or do they simple give out information Many thanks in advance Moray

Hi Philip Paxton,
Thank you for your enquiry.
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide a timescale for when this service will be available and whether it will apply to people living overseas. With regards to your query about your application to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions from abroad, I can confirm that if you are eligible to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions, you will still be able to pay them after you reach state pension age.
Because you are now approaching state pension age, your application to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions may have been have been passed to the International Pension Centre for them to process.You can contact them on +44 (0) 191 218 7777 to check if they have your application, or you can contact the National Insurance contributions helpline to see what stage your application is at. The number for that helpline is +44 (0) 191 203 7010. Both lines are open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Thank you.

Hi Moray Vincent,
Without looking at your personal records, I am unable to provide specific answers to your queries. However, I can advise you that if you have not provided enough information in your previous letters, you will be contacted by HMRC if further details are required. All correspondence that you send to HMRC is logged onto a central system, and all of your letters will be accessible to HMRC via your National Insurance number, so it is important that any correspondence that you send to HMRC has your National Insurance number included. The address for your correspondence is:
National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office
PT Operations North East England
International Caseworker Department
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN
With regards to your query about whether your pension will be the same whether you pay at the class 2 rate or the class 3 rate, I can confirm that whichever rate you pay will have the same benefit to your pension entitlement. The reason why you must contact the pension service before paying, is to check with them if paying voluntary National Insurance contributions will increase your pension or not. It is important that you do this, as you don’t want to pay for any years that aren’t going to increase your pension. Our helplines do provide general information, but for certain queries, updates can sometimes be made or referrals can be sent to the specific office that will be dealing with your query. 
Thank you.




 

Hi Moray Vincent,
If you’ve already written to explain then in our digital mail correspondence all correspondence from the same customer ID (eg NINO) is linked and the agent dealing with your letter should be able to find the most recent correspondence.
In terms of our international caseworker staff on the telephone lines, they can deal with most queries including allocation on monies if payments have been received, there are some cases where they need to hand off for more clerical action but they are fully trained in areas of international National Insurance.
Thank you.

I made voluntary NI contributions as per the letter I was sent after filling out the appropriate forms. The agent who wrote to me told me how much shortfall I had for each year, that had one, and I paid the full amount as per the instructions. This was Mid November 2023 and this is still not reflected on my online account. My understanding that it should show in 6-8 weeks. Is this currently a longer wait and if so, when should I expect this to appear in my account online? If it should be there by now where is my money (it was not returned by the bank) and how do I go about finding it and resolving the matter?

Hi HMRC 20, Just a short message to say your last two responses above have been very helpful to me (and hopefully to others reading this forum). Thank you again for the information given. Best, Moray

Hi Stephen Lees,
If you could call our National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 (from the UK) or +44 191 2037010 (from overseas), then we will be able to check your National Insurance account and allocate your payment of voluntary contributions.
National Insurance: general enquiries
Thank you. 

@HMRC Admin 20: What situations is it not worthwhile to pay the contributions? Presumably the only times are if you: 1) Already have enough years of contributions 2) Will work long enough in the UK to reach the number of contributions naturally If I live abroad and don't plan to return to the UK + only have 8 years of contributions currently I guess there's no need to call the service?

Hi Mike,
You should contact the Pension Service for advice on your personal circumstances.
HMRC are unable to provide advice on whether you should pay voluntary National Insurance contributions or not.
Once you have spoken to the Pension Service, if you wish to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions from abroad, please complete the CF83 application form which can be found here - Social Security abroad: NI38 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Please read the information on the NI38 before completing your application form.
The contact number for the Pension Service is +44 (0) 191 2187777, lines are open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
Thank you.

Hi, I’ve filled in a CF83 and received a confirmation letter of what contributions I need to pay and which years are covered. I made the payment via international bank transfer 2 weeks ago, just wondering how long it will take for the payment to be registered and my details to be updated? Thanks in advance.

Hello, First time here. A question. What are the criteria in determining wether you pay class 2 or Class 3 NI contributions??? I have worked full time from the age of 16 in the UK until 2001 (24 years) (i'm British) and then moved to France where i have worked and lived for 24 years. I have been paying Class 2 NI contributions each year for the past 5 years, and will continue until my retirement in 2 years time. But need to pay 11 gap years. After completing the NI38 which is 5 years ago, and again last year, i was sent a letter, asking the name of my current company is to determine if i pay Class 2 or 3 for the gap years?? Many thanks for your time.

Hi,
To be entitled to pay voluntary class 3 National Insurance contributions, an individual must have either lived in the UK for a continuous period of 3 years or have paid for any 3 qualifying tax years.  
To be entitled to pay at the voluntary class 2 rate, in addition to the 3 year rule, an individual must be employed or self-employed overseas and were normally employed or self-employed in the UK before their departure.
Thank you.

HI HMRC Admin 8 Response, Many thanks for your response, that certainly clears up my uncertainty if i understand correctly. Being born in London in 1960 and having left school and worked in the UK from the age of 16 (1976) until the age of 40 (2001) (24years) leaving my last job in the UK on the 7th february, and starting my new job in France on the 14th February and continuing to work to this day full time (23years) 64years of age now. So I would be entitled to pay the 11 gap years at Class 2 ?? no. Many thanks for your time. 

Name removed admin .

Hi I posted a question 11 days ago and it still hasn’t been moderated and posted? It was a question about how long it takes for Class 2 payments from overseas to show up in my account. I made the payments on 11 August. At least two messages have been published since then but mine is still being moderated? Thanks

[Apologies, original post now moderated - Admin]

Hi I submitted my CF83 back in Feb 2024 via the new online tool and got a reply in mid May 2024 outlining I could play Class 2 and how much per year I need to pay to make up the NIC shortfall. Note I am residing in the Republic of Ireland. I added up the amount and on 6th June at my local bank here in the RoI, I paid it to HMRC NIC Receipts in Barclays as outlined in https://www.gov.uk/pay-class-2-national-insurance "Paying from an overseas bank account" and added identifiers 12 weeks later I still have no confirmation of receipt of payment. The HMRC shows no change to NIC shortfall status. How do I know if the payment was received and directed to the correct place? What if I entered the additional information incorrectly? How do I get assurance it has been receieved correctly from me?

Hello. I have received approval to pay voluntary NI. Some years are class 2 and some are class 3. The letter was dated June 2024. Due to errors on HMRC system, I could not see my record on line until now (September 2024). The letter for how to pay references website links that do not help at all. I think there have been several recent changes to the website. Please provide details, or a link, on how to pay NI for class 2 and 3 for previous years, from overseas. Please don't ask me to phone, I have already spend a lot of money queuing on the phone to get to this point.

Hi, I filled in my second CF83 in April 2024 and received a letter from HMRC on 24 July 2024 saying my national insurance record had been updated for all years from 2006 to 2024, the funds taken from the monies I paid in April 2023 and the balance returned to me. I have checked the calculations in the letter sent and the balances seem to be correct. However, when I look at my contributions on the website, it says all years from 2006 to 2010 have been filled, there is then a gap of 6 years unfilled contributions from 2011 to 2016 and then all years have been filled since then. This is in contradiction to the 24 July 2024 letter sent to me. Can you advise whether it is normal for HMRC to update some years on the website and then go back later and update other years (which would seem strange behaviour)? Can you advise me of the best way to ensure the website is updated and if your advice is for me to wait longer to see if the website is updated, how much longer do you advise me to wait? best Moray