Mechanism for paying class 2 NI contributions from abroad

After completing CF83 and phoning NI and HMRC I paid contirbutions April 23rd 2024. Can you tell me how long it will be before this is processed and appears in my online NI record? Thanks

Hi classwho,
To be entitled to pay voluntary class 2 National Insurance contributions whilst overseas, a person must be either employed or self-employed.  
For any periods of non-employment they may pay voluntary class 3 National Insurance contributions.
Thank you.

Hi mike,
If your payment of voluntary National Insurance contributions is still not recorded on your Personal Tax Account then please call our
National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 (from the UK) or +44 191 2037010 (from overseas) and they will be able to arrange
for your payment to be allocated.
Thank you.

Dear HRRC: The writer (Mike Allan) is asking how long it takes until a voluntary payment of NI contributions takes to appear in the NI online record. Can you please reply with the typical/average wait time for this to be reflected in our NI records - such that we know when we might feel it necessary to contact the number you’ve provided (ie if the wait exceeds this average time)? Thank you!

Hi HMRC, Following on from my previous question about someone who was living abroad and paying Class 2 contributions but is now unable to work due to illness, can you clarify the reasons why this person has to pay the higher rate of Class 3 NICs, given that they are neither employed nor unemployed? They are medically unfit to work. Also it would seem strange that they pay the higher rate in these circumstances.

Dear HMRC, I am based in a non-EU country - I applied to pay class 2 NI contributions (as well as shortfall years) back in 2023 and was accepted, along with a letter received in January 2024, indicating the cost of each shortfall year, which I duly paid last week. The issue is, I paid via my UK account to the account/sort code stated in the letter, which was (Sort Code) 20 20 48 and (Account Number) 30944793 - it's only on these forums that I discovered the account/sort code has since changed - unfortunately after the payment was made. I am now concerned that this payment is in the "ether" - could you please confirm if this legacy account is still active (i.e. payments made recently are still received and applied)?

Hi Keith,
We would ask that you wait 10 working days from making your payment to calling the National Insurance Helpline to check if we have received it. From receiving the payment it may take up to 8 weeks for the payment to appear on an individuals National Insurance account.
Thank you. 

 

Hi ChrisCN,
It can take up to 6 weeks for a payment of voluntary National Insurance contributions to be allocated to a person’s National Insurance account.
If you have access to your Personal Tax Account (PTA) then please check this after about 6 weeks to check if your payment is recorded.  If it’s not recorded then please check your bank account to make sure that it has not been bounced back.
If not, then please call our National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500 (from the UK) or +44 191 203 7010 (from overseas) and they will be able to trace for your payment and arrange for it to be allocated to your National Insurance account.  Please have your payment details handy if you do need to call just in case these are needed.
Thank you.

Hi classwho,
Historically, voluntary class 2 contributions were more expensive than the voluntary class 3 contributions.  However, in the year 2000 it was decided to reduce the amount of voluntary class 2 contributions to help people in the UK who are self-employed.  As a result the rate of voluntary class 2 contributions that our overseas customers could pay were also reduced.
Thank you.

Hi. I'm looking to fill gaps in my NI contributions that were created whilst I was working abroad. I submitted a form to HMRC to find how much I actually owe each year and received a letter breaking it down for me by year, the amounts I have been told is a lot less than the 800 pound figures quoted in the app to pay for full years. I noticed that when paying the amount by bank transfer it didn't let me enter the year for which I was paying, I thought I'd only pay one of the years to test the system. I paid the money to HMRC NIC Receipts on 11 Jul 2024 and nothing has changed on my NI contributions. I'm just concerned whether they would realise which year I was paying to make it a full year. It may be that I need to be more patient and whit a little while longer for the payment to be processed.

Hi,

When paying National Insurance contributions from outside of the UK, some customers may be eligible to pay at the cheaper Class 2 rate rather than the Class 3 rate. If you refer back to your letter from us, it may confirm that you have been charged at the Class 2 rather than the Class 3 rate.

The area that deals with the manual allocation of the funds have a current turn around of 35 weeks or more, depending on which part of the world you are in. You can contact our National Insurance team and ask for confirmation the payment has been received.  

National Insurance: general enquiries

Thank you.

I live abroad, and applied to pay back voluntary NICs using the form CF83. HMRC recently replied with a letter listing a mix of class 2 and class 3 contributions for different years. My question is: can/should I pay everything in one go (my preference)? Or should I pay class 2 and class 3 separately? It looks like the bank details are the same, regardless of the NIC class.

Have you checked with DWP Future Pension Centre that you need to pay all available years?

I tried to, but could not get connected. Un any case, by simple math, I know that I have to pay this if I want to get full state pension. I only started paying in my mid 30s, so there is no way I can avoid paying it.

"by simple math" may not give you the right answer given the change to the whole system on 6 April 2016 and how the transition from the old rules to the new rules works. You really should contact DWP Future Pension Centre to check how things look for you!

I’m trying to pay my NIC voluntary contributions by bank transfer from Canada (Scotiabank). I have no field whatsoever to put in my 18 digit number. Do I pay and then call them or send a letter with the 18 digit reference number?

Hi franceuk76,

Yes, you can pay the class 2 and 3 contributions together to the same bank account and reference number, there is no requirement to separate the amounts unless you wish to do so as they are voluntary payments.

Thank you.

 

Hi Britcanada,

The payment reference should be on your letter or bill. If it is not, it is usually made up as follows: 

NINO followed by ‘IC’, surname then initial. If limited to a certain amount of characters, use NINO followed by ‘IC’ and as much of the surname as possible.

If your name was Anne Jones and your NINO was QQ123456A, your reference would be QQ123456AICJONESA

Thank you.
 

Hi, I have my reference number but when I try to pay with online banking there is no field where I can put that reference number. I can pay, but without HMRC being able to see a reference number how do they allocate the payment? Will I need to call them? Thanks!

I would like to know if it is possible to use the money owed by HM customs (tax rebate) to pay for national insurance voluntary contributions and how to go about it. (Live in Spain)