Buy the years
Best£0Lifetime value
- Cost now
- -£0
- Extra pension a year
- £0
- Over your retirement
- £0
No years here would raise your pension.
Should I buy back missing National Insurance years?
Compares the cost of a voluntary Class 3 contribution against the extra State Pension it buys, and how long it takes to get the money back.
On the figures so far
Future working years should fill these gaps at no cost, so there is nothing to buy yet.
The options are within £0 of each other, which is close enough that rounding in the figures you entered could change the order. To be surer: how long you will draw the pension — the single figure this answer turns on, and the one nobody knows.
Refine it in 5 questions below.
The decision
Future working years should fill these gaps at no cost, so there is nothing to buy yet.
- 0 yearsWorth buying
- £0Cost
- —Payback
Why
- Each qualifying year is worth about £342 a year of State Pension — 1/35th of the full amount.
- A voluntary Class 3 year costs £923, so it pays for itself after about Infinity years of drawing the pension.
- You also expect 10 more qualifying years from working, which fill gaps for nothing — so only 0 would actually raise your pension.
- Of the 3 missing years, 3 would not raise your pension at all. Paying for those is money for nothing.
- The State Pension rises with the triple lock, so the real return is larger than these figures, which are in today's money.
Does this apply to you?
Each of these has to be true. Where your answers settle it we have said so; where they cannot, the test is yours to check.
You have fewer than 35 qualifying years. — met, on your answers
Pensions Act 2014 s. 2
The years you want to buy are still within the payment window. — we cannot tell from your answers
Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001, reg. 48
You will reach State Pension age with fewer than 35 years even after future working years. — not met, on your answers
If you will reach 35 anyway by working, buying old years adds nothing — the gaps fill themselves for free.
Pensions Act 2014 Sch. 1
You have checked your State Pension forecast, not just your record. — we cannot tell from your answers
GOV.UK — Check your State Pension forecast
You are not entitled to the cheaper Class 2 rate. — we cannot tell from your answers
SSCBA 1992 s. 11
What this does not model
- It uses the new State Pension and 35 qualifying years. If you have pre-2016 contributions your starting amount is calculated differently and may already be higher or lower than this suggests.
- It does not know which of your missing years are still in time to pay. Most can only be paid for six years back, with extended deadlines for some years.
- Class 2 is much cheaper than Class 3 and is available to some self-employed people — always check which class applies before paying.
- The figures are in today's money and ignore the triple lock, which makes buying look worse than it is.
- Contributions may not raise your pension if you were contracted out. Check your forecast before paying anything.
This is information, not tax or financial advice. It shows how the rules apply to the figures you entered — it does not know the rest of your circumstances. Worth checking with an accountant before you act.
Rates as at 6 April 2026 — the 2026/27 tax year.
What to keep
The figures above are only as good as what sits behind them. These are the records HMRC would ask for.
- Your National Insurance record from GOV.UK, listing each year and whether it counts.
- Your State Pension forecast, which is not the same thing — it reflects contracting out.
- The reference number HMRC gives you for the payment, which is specific to the years being bought.
- Confirmation that the payment was allocated to the years you intended — this is the step that most often goes wrong.
The dates that matter
| When | What | If you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| 6 years after the end of the tax year | Pay voluntary contributions for that year. | The year can no longer be bought. This is the ordinary limit, and it is strict. |
| Before the rate rises | Class 3 rates increase most years. | The same year costs more later — paying earlier is cheaper for identical benefit. |
| Before State Pension age | Contributions must be paid before you claim. | Paying afterwards is possible in limited cases only, and the pension is not backdated. |
| Allow several weeks | HMRC has to allocate the payment before the record updates. | A payment made just before a deadline can be allocated after it. Do not leave it to the last week. |
How to actually do it
Check the forecast, not just the record
The forecast tells you what you are on course for and whether extra years would raise it. If you were ever contracted out, the record alone will mislead you.
Identify which gaps are worth filling
Only years that raise the forecast are worth buying. The service now shows, year by year, what each one would add.
Check whether Class 2 applies to you
Far cheaper than Class 3 for the same qualifying year. Self-employment with low profits, and some work abroad, qualify — it is always worth asking before paying Class 3.
Get a reference and pay
Contact HMRC for an 18-digit reference tied to the years you are buying. Paying without it risks the money sitting unallocated.
Check the record afterwards
Allow a few weeks, then confirm the years now show as full. Chase if they do not — an unallocated payment is the most common failure here.
Worked examples
Three situations, worked through. They use the same rules as the tool above, so you can check the arithmetic against a case near your own.
25 qualifying years, 3 gaps, retiring in 15 years, still working
- Years still to earn
- 10 — enough to reach 35
- Worth buying now
- None
- Cost avoided
- About £2,770
The most common mistake this tool prevents. Future working years fill the gaps for nothing — buying now would be paying for something you are going to get free.
30 qualifying years, 5 gaps, retiring next year
- Worth buying
- 5 years
- Cost
- About £4,615
- Extra pension
- About £1,710 a year
- Payback
- Under 3 years
Close to retirement with no time to earn more years, this is one of the best-value purchases in UK personal finance — roughly a 35% annual return, index-linked and for life.
36 qualifying years, 2 gaps
- Years that count
- 35 — the maximum
- Extra pension from buying
- Nil
- Cost if you paid anyway
- About £1,850 wasted
Above 35 years nothing more can be bought. HMRC will take the money; it will not raise the pension.
The rules behind this
Every figure above comes from one of these. Where we have interpreted rather than calculated, the tool says so.
The full new State Pension requires 35 qualifying years; 10 years are needed for any entitlement at all.
Each qualifying year is worth 1/35th of the full new State Pension.
Voluntary Class 3 contributions may generally be paid for the six preceding tax years.
Class 2 contributions are available to some self-employed people and count the same as Class 3.
The State Pension is uprated annually under the triple lock.
Questions people ask
Is buying back years a good deal?
For someone close to retirement who will not otherwise reach 35 years, it is one of the best returns available anywhere: roughly £900 buys about £340 a year for life, index-linked. The payback is under three years. The catch is that it only works if the year actually raises your forecast.
How do I know if a year would help?
Check the forecast rather than the record. If you were contracted out of the additional State Pension — common for anyone in a final salary scheme before 2016 — your starting amount is calculated differently and extra years may add nothing.
Should I buy now or wait?
If you are still working and will reach 35 years anyway, wait — the gaps fill themselves. If you will not, buy before the deadline and before the rate rises. The only reason to hurry is the six-year window.
What is the difference between Class 2 and Class 3?
Both buy a qualifying year, but Class 2 costs a small fraction of Class 3. Class 2 is for the self-employed with low profits, and for some people working abroad. Always check whether you qualify before paying Class 3.
What if I have more than 35 years?
Nothing more can be bought — 35 is the maximum that counts for the new State Pension. HMRC will accept a payment that does you no good, which is why checking the forecast first matters.
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