username_recreated

Hi, I became self-employed in 2021 and for the tax years 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023 I chose not to voluntarily pay NI Class 2 (I think?) contributions because I didn't make a profit (and was trying to save money if I'm frank). I've checked my NI record and next to these two years it says 'Year is not full' and then when I click to view further details it says the following: "We are checking this year to see if it counts towards your pension. We’ll update your record when this is finished, you do not need to do anything." Could you advise what the requirements would be for these years to contribute towards my pension and what it is that HMRC are likely to be checking? I must admit, I've been somewhat naive about National Insurance contributions and don't really understand what I need to be doing to ensure that I have enough years accrued for retirement. When filling in my tax return towards the end it says that I can voluntarily pay NI contributions - is this necessary to do to ensure that I can ultimately receive a pension in my 60s? Any information and advice gratefully received, thanks!