Paid Voluntary NI contributions - How long is updating of the online NI records taking?

I submitted the required CF83 form, indicating I would like to cover NICs class 3 payments for previous years last summer. I received a reply from HMRC that my application was approved. Great, I made the payment to HRMC in Jan 2023. Then I realised on this site that I needed to call Pension Service in order to 1) get a confirmation of the payment and 2) get the allocation of the funds to the relevant years of my NI records. Now, I live aboard and I tried to call Pension Service three times. Each time I spent about 40min on the phone, but never managed to get through. My question is if I ultimately don't manage to get this call done, what happens? Will the allocation finally be done, without my intervention? Or is it an absolute must to make this call and "instruct" HRMC to make the allocation? Thank you in advance, V.K.

I made a "Voluntary Class 3 NI" payment via bank transfer using my 18 character reference on 9 January 2023 (7 weeks ago) to top up tax year 2020/2021. Can someone (preferably an HMRC representative) comment on how long it should currently take for the payment to be credited to my account ?

Hello, I paid some voluntary class 3 NI contributions several weeks ago and they aren't showing in my account yet. In April, I will lose the ability to back-pay these years so need to confirm that the payments have been received before then. However, whenever I call the call centre, each time I am on hold for 1hour 15 minutes and then cut off with a message saying the advisors are "unable to take my call". Is there any way to confirm receipt of payment aside from using the call centre? Also, if the payment is not allocated until after the April deadline, is that a problem? I.e. is it still ok as long as the payment was received before the April deadline? Thanks for your help, 

Hi Katvik Katona,

Our International Caseworker’s are currently working on post received on:

EU countries 6 September 2022

Rest of the world countries 15 August 2022

Any payments received are also worked in strict date order.  Even though the deadline is approaching in April 2023 for making a payment your payment won’t be affected or penalised if it is processed after the April deadline.

You do not need to make the call but if you want to wait until after the end of the tax year (May 2023) when our lines maybe quieter as the deadline will have passed please do not hesitate to so.  

Thank you. 


 

Hi Kevin Raine,

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.

Thank you. 

My wife paid 4 years contributions in December 2021 before her pension was due at the end of January 2022. She made her first call to see why she had not been credited in May 2022 to be told that she had paid too much and her case was on hold as she needed a refund of about £80. She was told her additional years would be credited by October 2022. October 2022 still nothing and another phone call to be told that the years should be credited by December 2022. No further information on the refund. We are now March 2023 and gearing up for another call to see what is happening as no refund or any sign of the extra years being credited. This is absolutely abysmal service having waited now 16 months. I am sure if it was a case of the HMRC being owed money by my wife they would have taken it very quickly.........

I paid 6 years worth of voluntary contributions on 11.1.23, and was told of the normal 6 week timescale for it to be allocated. When my record was not updated within the 6 weeks I phoned the helpline who confirmed that my payment had been received but had not yet been allocated. One of your earlier responses implied that the helpline could allocate the payment during the call. Should I have been offered that option? Can I call again and have that happen? I have checked today and the payment has not been allocated.

Hi Robin Gillies,

Your payment can be allocated during a phone call if the correct amount has been paid. If the amount you paid was not correct, details will need to be referred to a caseworker to allocate and current timescales show that this may take 23 weeks.

You can contact our National Insurance team on 0300 200 3500 and ask for your payment to be allocated, however please note that our lines are extremely busy at present.

Thank you.
 

I paid voluntary class 3 NI in August 2022 for the current tax year. As it was not showing in my personal tax account for 2022-23, I phoned the NI helpline today (at 8am!), and the chap said it had been received ok and allocated already. My questions are: 1. When does one's personal tax account get updated - is it after the end of the tax year? 2. How can you get an up to date pension forecast if your personal tax account is not up to date, as the forecast showing is one year behind? 3. I was told that six months before you retire, the HMRC NIC records are transfered to the DWP. This would be true for myself as I retire in 4 months time - does this explain why my personal tax account is not showing the current year contributions, because HMRC are no longer maintaining it? The chap said HMRC and DWP see the same records as each other so there's no point me ringing the DWP. Perhaps admin can help?

I paid 4 years of voluntary NI contributions some weeks ago giving the reference number I was provided with when I enquired. Nothing has been updated on my record at all. And getting through on the phone seems all but impossible. How long should it take for this money to be allocated to my pension and when will the website update, if ever?

Hi Chris H,

The date your payment is received will be honoured, however it may take up to 8 weeks for your national insurance record to be updated.

Thank you. 
 

Hi nearly66.

Voluntary Class 3 National Insurance Contributions are paid in arrears.

The current tax year (2022-2023) will not show on your PTA until after the 5 April 2023.  

If you have already had verbal confirmation that the 2022-2023 tax year has been updated you must wait until after the end of the financial year before you can review this on the PTA.

This will not impact on your claim for State pension as they will be aware of any payments you have made prior to calculating your State Pension.

Thank you. 





 

Hi, My wife has paid voluntary contributions Class 3 to top-up and fill out gaps that she has in her NIC records. She has paid an amount equivalent to 6 years for the following years that she has gaps on: 2020 to 2021 (1st year), 2012 to 2013 (2nd), 2011 to 2012 (3rd), 2010 to 2011 (4th), 2009 to 2010 (5th) and 2008 to 2009 (6th). However, funny enough, in her records it shows only the 1st year (2020 to 2021) that the payment has been allocated. And, the other 5 years are still showing "Year is not full", i.e. the total payment covering those 6 years have not been fully allocated yet. So, how come in her records, only 1 year has been allocated and the remaining 5 years have not yet? Thanks.

Hi I recently paid for 3 years voluntary Class 3 contributions using the HMRC reference given to me over the phone based on the fees shown in my record. HMRC confirmed which years I shouldn’t pay for ie those before 2016/17 Could you just confirm whether I need to phone HMRC to confirm which years I’m paying for or do you automatically allocate them earliest years first etc. Thanks

Hi Laurie Durand,

Time limits for payments to show on NI records are 6 weeks from the date we received your payment.

However, we are experiencing higher volumes of payments at this time of year and some payments are talking longer than usual to show.

If you made a payment more than 6 weeks ago or within 6 months of State Pension age you may wish to contact our National Insurance team or the Future Pension Centre.

National Insurance: general enquiries

Contact the Future Pension Centre

Thank you.



 

I posted a letter informing HMRC about national insurance contributions for the last 4 years. I have been child minding my grandson and was told I could claim via my daughter's contributions. I filled in the form and was told online that my case would be settled by January 11 2023. It is now 2 months later and I retire in June. What is the hold up?

Hi Clelio De Souza,

Based on the years you have mentioned and without having access to your wife’s account, the earlier years may need a slightly different process to be updated onto her record. It may also be if the payments were made separately and not in one lump sum, that they have been actioned at different times.

However, if at the time of receiving your reply from us, your wife's account is still showing this, it would be advisable to contact our National Insurance team so that we can check that the payments for you.

National Insurance: general enquiries

If you call on behalf of your wife, she would need to be present to complete our security questions before we could give you any information 

Thank you.

Hi, I recently paid voluntary contributions Class 3 to fill in gaps in my NIC record. Following a phone call to Future Pension Centre, I paid an amount equivalent to 9 years contributions. 2021 to 2022, 2020 to 2021, 2019 to 2020, 2018 to 2019, 2017 to 2018, 2016 to 2017, 2015 to 2016, 2014 to 2015, 2013 to 2014 My NI record now shows 6 years 2021 to2022 back to 2016 to 2017 as "FULL YEAR" The other 3 years 2015 to 2016, 2014 to 2015, 2013 to 2014 still show "YEAR IS NOT FULL" Can you tell me when these 3 years will be allocated to my NIC record and my state pension - due to start in June 2023 - updated to take in these voluntary contributions Thanks

Hi Seamus D,

When you contact HMRC for your 18 digit reference, the advisor will note your record with the amount you are paying and also the tax years you are paying.

Thank you.