In order to get the maximum State Pension you need to have paid National Insurance premiums (or received credits when raising children, for example) for a certain number of years. The new State Pension which came into force in April 2016 requires 35 years of National Insurance credits. Those who have had years credited from before 2016 will need to consult HMRC to find out what is required for them. Where there is a shortfall it is possible in some cases to make additional payments which will increase what will be received at State Pension Age. The changes in the State Pension Age has also affected the requirements. This can be of particular relevance to low earners generally, and women who have had breaks in their employment record. Recently we had two women clients who only found out that they were falling short of their National Insurance requirements because they consulted HMRC. By making these additional payments they were able to substantially increase the State Pension they will receive. One found it successful to consult www.gov.uk/personal-tax-account. We also suggest using the State Pension Forecast site – www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/check-your-state-pension.
Note: Some good news about State Pensions – they have a guaranteed increase of 3.9% from April 2020. Under current rules the State Pension is increased by what is called the “triple lock”, which is the highest of the three indices – earnings growth, price inflation or 2.5% per annum.
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