Allocation of voluntary NI contributions

[Oswulf]

Six months after I submitted a request to pay voluntary NI contributions I'm finally at the point where I've received details of the bank account I need to transfer money to. I have 18 years with no contribution that I can fill. However, I only need 16 to take me to the point of receiving a full station pension. My question is: after I transfer the money to their bank, who decides which years get filled and how? (I believe people in the UK can pay online and specify which years to fill - an option not available to those living overseas.)

Thanks.

[torata]

Six months after I submitted a request to pay voluntary NI contributions I'm finally at the point where I've received details of the bank account I need to transfer money to. I have 18 years with no contribution that I can fill. However, I only need 16 to take me to the point of receiving a full station pension. My question is: after I transfer the money to their bank, who decides which years get filled and how? (I believe people in the UK can pay online and specify which years to fill - an option not available to those living overseas.)

Thanks.

From memory, each year had a slightly different cost, and so you need to specify the years and associated costs when you write to them, to give you a total that you can transfer to the account they've given you. (I've always paid by cheque to keep the letter and the money together).
I was always able to find out the amounts per year through an internet search.

As to which specific years get filled (if in your case the amounts are the same for each year), does it matter? It's the number of contributing years, surely.

torata

[londoninvestor]

As to which specific years get filled (if in your case the amounts are the same for each year), does it matter? It's the number of contributing years, surely.

Isn't there potentially a difference between buying pre-2016 and post-2016 years? (As discussed in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=46540)

[mc2fool]

Six months after I submitted a request to pay voluntary NI contributions I'm finally at the point where I've received details of the bank account I need to transfer money to. I have 18 years with no contribution that I can fill. However, I only need 16 to take me to the point of receiving a full station pension. My question is: after I transfer the money to their bank, who decides which years get filled and how? (I believe people in the UK can pay online and specify which years to fill - an option not available to those living overseas.)

The bank account details are online...

Like Torata, when I've paid voluntary NICs from abroad (and, indeed from within the UK too before I had to do self assessment), I just sent them a cheque with the years specified both in a cover letter and written on the back of the cheque. If you want to go down the direct bank transfer route I'd suggest contacting them and asking. They may even let you specify over the phone (maybe...!).

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/national-insurance-enquiries-for-employees-and-individuals

Now, with 18 years of gaps at least some of those are going to be pre-2016. Have you double checked, either by getting it in writing from HMRC or DWP or at least by going through the numerous explanations and examples on the Pensions - Practical Problems, that you will indeed be able to get a full new state pension, and how many and which years you need to fill to do so?

If you are just working on the basis that you just need to get to 35 qualifying years to get the full new state pension then there's a fair chance that won't be so. The simple "35 years" is only true for those totally under the new state pension, i.e. whose first QY is from 2016 onwards. Anyone with pre-2016 years may need more or less than 35, or may never be able to do it no matter how many years they have.

If you've not had that verified then search the Pensions - Practical Problems board for posts by me containing the word "COPE" and you'll find plenty of real life worked examples.