18 digits reference number of volunteer NI contributions

I have an 18 digit payment reference that I used last year (March 2022) for making voluntary NI contributions via BACs. Can I use the same reference number this year? Why make it so difficult to find this reference number online? I don't understand why it's not available on people's Government Gateway accounts. It was all but impossible to get through to someone on the telephone last year making it extremely difficult to check. It sound likes it's even worse this year. I don't want to send my NI contributions to the wrong place. Please find a way of making this process easier for sake of everyone involved.

Hi Fred M,

We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes at the moment.  

Your 18 digit reference is unique to you and you can use it to make another payment.

If you know the amount due and have already received confirmation that paying the tax year will improve your pension entitlement, then you can use your 18 digit reference.

The beginning of the reference is 60, the next 5 digits will be either the cost of the tax year or if you are paying more than one year they should be 99999. 

For example:

• Paying one year only, 6080080 (2021-2022 rate) then the other digits from last year to complete your 18 digits
• Paying more than one year, 6099999  then the other digits from last year to complete your 18 digits

Thank you.
 

Like others above I only require an 18 digit number in order to pay a lump sum of voluntary national insurance. I've tried many times, been on the phone over an hour and then cut off. Managed at one point to speak to someone, purely as I'd inadvertently given wrong info, or the automated lady thought so, sadly it was way over an hour and my landline battery gave up on me - how annoying is that. I've tried several other times, stayed on phone over an hour, been on phone many, many times, and then cut off, often. Its certainly not a very polite system though expect its due to high volume. I am frustrated I cannot get hold of someone to acquire the relevant 18 digit reference number (I've looked at the site and can't see another way, other than sending a cheque and covering letter and have no reference to put on that albeit my NI number. I anxious to get this sorted as I retire early May. As everything else is in order and its just a case of a 'elusive' number its very frustrating to say the least. All I can do, alongside many others, is keep trying and ringing and getting cut off, time and time again, until, hopefully, one call will give me success to speak with a person and get the relevant number.