National Insurance class 3 voluntary contributions

I paid 2 years voluntary N I contributions 2 weeks ago. I have checked numerous times to see if my pension forecast has been updated. It has not. Surely the payment should be reflected somewhere?????

I paid for several years at the beginning of October and there is still nothing showing against my records. The best I can see online was that something should have been done at the beginning of November, but nothing. I guess you just have to be patient and hope. But it was a lot of money that I could use just now and having it disappear into a black hole is a bit disconcerting.

Last time I paid some, they didn't show up until after the end of the tax year.

I paid NI contributions for the 2021/22 tax year back in early March and online record still not updated. According to Money Saving Expert, it could take up to 60 days for the record to be updated, but still waiting! It didn't take this long in previous years. Some people have managed to get their records updated by phoning up the Future Pensions Centre https://www.gov.uk/future-pension-centre, which I will be doing soon unless an HMRC person can explain the delay.

My pension forecast has now been updated. Still took around a month.

Sorry, looks like the Future Pension Centre helps with identifying which gaps are worth filling https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions, but the General Enquiries people deal with queries after payments have been made https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/national-insurance-enquiries-for-employees-and-individuals. Hopefully an HMRC person will give a definitive answer soon!

Hi,

You will need to contact our National Insurance team who can check the payment is on the account and arrange the correct allocation depending on the type of National Insurance payment.

National Insurance: general enquiries

The Future Pension Centre do not do National Insurance allocations.

Thank you

 

I looked up HMRC website for national insurance class 3 voluntary contributions and it says we can post a cheque to the address mentioned (address:BX9 1AN - 3 days' process time) which i did on January 3rd 2023. It has now been over 3 weeks. I checked my bank account and this payment has not been taken yet. Please advice how long does HMRC take to cash in the cheque as I worry having to pay an increased amount if payment is delayed for the tax year. I would be grateful for a response. I am afraid contact NI by phone is not a good option for me as you are put on hold for hours and this will cost me a lot as I am not on any phone usage contract so I would really appreciate help on this forum. Many thanks

I paid on , on 8 November, a sum directly to my NI account. the advisor said that he didn't have the faintest idea what any of his previous colleagues had done as it didn't make any sense. He updated a 6p payment oversight (on their part- I pay what I am asked to) that hadn't taken into account a leap year which the system apparently can't cope with. I paid 10 mins after the call ended using the amount and reference given to me. Almost 4 months on, this amount has still not been credited to my NI record. How can HMRC not credit an account immediately when it has supplied a reference number to allow you to pay? What happens to the interest- my Interest- on the weeks of non-accreditation? I have phoned & phoned- cut off after 30-45 mins every time which is plain rude.

Hi,

It can take up to 6 weeks to process class 3 payments and to show on your account,

Thank you.

I paid on the 8th November- well over 6 weeks,..

Hi,

We are sorry for the problems you have encountered with our phoneline.

Payments aren’t always allocated as soon as they are paid, the current timescale is 19 weeks. We would need your National Insurance number to be able to check if we have received your payment. You can try calling us again on 0300 200 3500, or write to us at the following address, providing us with details of your payment:

• how you made the payment
• amount you paid
• date of payment
• date debited from bank account
• your bank details, sort code, account number, account name, bank name and address
• the HMRC account payment made to
• account number
• sort code

National Insurance Contributions & Employer Office
PT Operations North East England
HM Revenue and Customs
BX9 1AN

National Insurance: general enquiries

We do not pay interest because once your payment is allocated, it will show the date of receipt as the date we received it. You would not lose any benefit because we didn’t allocate it straight away.

Thank you.
 

Simple question How does someone get a class 3 nic reference number. Also what time do the helplines open

Hi surreybloke,

 If you would like to pay voluntary contributions to increase your state pension you can find more information here:

Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance

For UK residents, the first thing you will need to do is to contact DWP.  
The reason we require you to contact DWP is because they will be able to advise you what years it is best for you to pay, and if you will benefit from paying them. Although these contributions are voluntary they cannot be refunded if paid incorrectly, therefore you should ensure that you will benefit from making the payment. 

If you are below pension age you should contact future pension centre on 0800 731 0175

If you are over pension age you should contact the pension service on 0800 731 7898

DWP phone lines are open between 8am and 6pm

Once you have this information you should contact HMRC to obtain an 18 digit reference number.

You can then use this number to pay online, at your bank, or via online banking

The contact number for HMRC is 0300 2003500 (lines are open between 8am and 6pm)

HMRC will accept your original date of contact, and the date the payment is received will be honoured, however it may take up to 8 weeks for your national insurance record to be updated.

For customers who reside overseas you will need to read the booklet NI38, and complete the CF83, making sure you tick the option that you would like to know what arrears you can pay.

Thank you. 
 

Hello, I made my voluntary class 3 NIC on February 11 of this year, when can I expect to get written confirmation and have this updated in my tax record. Thank you 

Is it possible to make an additional NI payment via posting a cheque? If so, to what address please? I want to make an additional NI payment and I know how much I need to pay. However I cannot get through on the phone - 2 calls of over 1 hour 15’ on hold and then it just cut off. I am now on hold; so far 38’

Hi Dianainsurance1,

It is possible to make a payment via cheque to HMRC.
You can find all of the information you need here about where to send this.
Pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance
Unfortunately we cannot advise you how much you would need to pay without checking your account.
We have faced a higher than normal volume of calls at present. If you continue to be unable to get through – you may be able to check the amounts on your Personal Tax Account.
Check your National Insurance record 


Thank you.

What's the latest timescale for allocating payments? The 0300 200 3500 phone message is quoting upto eight weeks,

Hi PNima.

It can take up to 8 weeks for a payment to be allocated to your National Insurance contribution records.
Once your payment has been allocated, you can view this on your Personal Tax Account or the HMRC App.
You will receive written confirmation when it has been allocated, but only if you requested this when you sent your payment.

Thank you
 

Hi I have multiple years missing from my record. If I make a payment online with the 18 digit reference number, how to ensure that the payment will be directed to a specific year? E.g. I have just £120 missing from 2010 and I want to pay that off. But I also have other years missing for £500 and £800. If I make a payment for £120 how to ensure it will go to clear 2010 and not as a part payment towards some other year? Thanks