Missing Payment for Voluntary Contributions

In September 23 I paid 7 yrs of Voluntary contributions towards my pension due in December 23.I triple checked and screen shot all the payment details only then did I make the payment. I waited and waited for my record to updated it wasnt. I contacted my bank who confirmed the payment had gone through. Yesterday 13/11/2023 I made the dreaded phone call to HMRC and waited 57 mins to get through only to be told my payment couldnt be found and my enquiry would be passed on to another department and for ME TO RING BACK in two weeks. My questions are 1) Have I been scammed 2) Why wont HMRC contact me why is it up to me to contact you 3) What happens if my money cant be traced. 4) Will my pension due in Dec 23 be paid. And lastly 5) I am due to pay my TAX self assesment is it safe for me to pay or will this go missing. Hope to get some answer's.

Hi David Johnson,
ry. First of all please be assured we have procedures in place to locate missing payments. To directly answer your questions:
1)    So long as you used HMRC bank details you will not have been scammed. Your funds will be in our system and we will just need to locate them to allocate them for you. 
2)    As I wasn’t party to the call I cannot say exactly what you were advised. Once your payment has been located and allocated you will see your Personal Tax Account updated. You can call back for an update in 2 weeks if that is what you were advised, we may or may not have much of an update for you then. It’s not the case that we will not contact you – but your ‘contact’ may just be that the payment has been located and your account updated. 
3)    As mentioned above – as long as you have used HMRC bank details – even if it was not the National Insurance one – we will be able to trace your payment. Depending where the payment was made it may be a quick process or it may take a little while. Hopefully our advisor would have confirmed the bank account you paid to when you called. The National Insurance bank details can be located here Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance if you would like to double check. Please note – there is more than one set of HMRC bank details depending on what you are paying. 
4)    The Department for Work and Pensions will confirm if your pension is due to be paid and how much. However, if for any reason your account was not updated before you receive you state pension, please be assured you will be fully backdated for any missed amounts due from your Cl3 increase as your payment was made before you reached state pension age. 
5)    Please do not defer from making your payment for Self-Assessment. But as mentioned previously – the payment details are different for Self-Assessment that for National Insurance – so please check you are paying the right HMRC department – you can get more information on paying here - Pay your Self Assessment tax bill
Thank you.
 

Thank you for your reply I feel a little better now. I Will post an update when known. Hopefully before I get my pension next month.