State pension update as ‘six year rule’ to top up sum relaxed – but for a limited time | Personal Finance | Finance

The state pension typically depends on a person’s National Insurance record, which needs to be a certain number of years to secure the full sum. In efforts to boost their state pension, many people looked towards topping up their National Insurance record.

However, there were strict rules about the number of years National Insurance contributions could be purchased for.

Typically, people could only pay voluntary contributions for the last six years.

But the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has now relaxed these rules – for a limited time only.

The Future Pension Centre has confirmed anyone who reached state pension age after April 2016 can buy NI credits for missing years back to April 2006.

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This relaxed rule will therefore apply to men born after April 5, 1951 and women born after April 5, 1953. 

It will, however, will only be in place for a limited time.

On April 5, 2023, the six year deadline will come back into force.

Those who want to top up their state pension for historic years could therefore benefit by taking action now.

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Individuals will need a Government Gateway ID and password to check their record.

If they do not have one, they can create one when checking the record.

For the new state pension, a person usually needs at least 10 qualifying years of NI to get any state pension.

The Government website adds: “You’ll need 35 qualifying years to get the new full state pension if you do not have a National Insurance record before April 6, 2016.”

Some people may get less than the full new state pension if they were contracted out before April 6, 2016.