MALong20

Dear Mark, I am going through a complete nightmare trying to set up my voluntary contributions NI living abroad and I really need your help. I have been trying to set it up for 3 years and have been applying and calling the help centre repeatedly and although they repeatedly promise to set up the direct debit / call me back / resolve the issue, they never do. I am eligible for class 2 contributions. I applied via post, as requested, back in 2021. For an unknown reason there was a complication / mishandling of the application and the request was not put through and I was also not notified. After calling numerous times for resolution, I spoke with a manager in April 2023 who assured me that we would resolve it over the phone there and then. We did an immediate payment over the phone for the shortfall of two previous years, and, she confirmed setting up the direct debit, using the same current bank account details (the same as the original direct debit mandate request). She advised me that the first direct debit payment would be taken only in January 2024. So I waited until then and saw that not direct debit had been set up. I called again. They said that it had not been set up for unknown reasons and they would ask the International Case Worker to resolve it and set it up within 48 hours. They did not resolve it or contact me back. I called again. I spoke to a manager who said there was a note on the system that it had not been set up because my bank account was a savings account (??!!) it is NOT a savings account and is the identical details as the payment made for the shortfall in 2023 and in the original direct debit mandate request in 2021. They assured me that the International Case Worker would call me back within 48 hours to resolve the issue. No one called me back. I am pulling my hair out. I do not know what to do. While writing this message I am own hold to the helpline again, and have currently been on hold for 34 minutes. Please please help me resolve this. Michelle. 

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