State pension top-ups deadline pushed back AGAIN as savers jam phones
Deadline for purchasing AOW supplements postponed – AGAIN! Savers jamming DWP and HMRC phones now have more time to take advantage of a special deal
- Upgrade deadline extended for the second time – it is now April 5, 2025
- Savers can currently add or purchase additional years up to 2006/2007
- Rates are frozen at £824 for each year, and less for a gap year
Stalled lines: This is Money readers tell us they’re still struggling to reach the DWP on top-ups after the first deadline extension (stock image)
The phone outage has forced the government to extend a tight deadline to buy additional state pension supplements for the second time – the end date is now April 5, 2025.
Ministers have decided that due to strong demand, people will have more time to take advantage of the concession allowing them to refuel or buy additional years from 2006/2007.
Savers can still do this at the current rates of up to £824 for each year, and less for a gap year.
After protests from frustrated savers – who blocked phone lines for weeks – the government gave in to pressure earlier this year and extended the April deadline to buy additional state pension supplements until the summer.
But over the months since, we’ve continued to receive a flood of messages from This is Money readers, worried they’ll miss the new deadline because it’s still nearly impossible to reach the Department for Work and Pensions helpline.
They tell us that their calls are constantly being cut off, either right away or just after listening to an automated message for a few minutes.
Others have struggled to secure an HMRC reference number to pay for their top-up.
And an increasing number have told us that they spent hundreds or thousands of pounds on top-ups months ago, but their state pension forecast still hasn’t been updated to reflect these payments.
Today Treasury Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “People who have worked hard all their lives deserve to receive their right to a state pension, and filling gaps in national insurance data can make a real difference.
“Now that the deadline has been extended, there is no immediate rush for people to fill gaps in their file and they have more time to spread the costs.”
Pensions Minister Laura Trott said: ‘I am pleased that so many people are taking steps to review their state pensions. That’s why we’ve extended the deadline for customers to add additional years to their National Insurance record.
“This extension gives thousands of people more time to check their entitlement and, in many cases, to increase the amount they will receive when they retire.”
Steve Webb, former Pensions Minister and now a partner at consultant LCP, said: ‘I am delighted that the Government has announced a significant extension to the deadline for paying voluntary NI to top up state pensions.
“This is a complex area with great potential for people to improve their position, but also the risk of being wrong.
Webb, This is Money’s retirement columnist, added: ‘It is essential that people are able to discuss their options with the DWP before making payments, and this has simply been impossible for too many people due to a lack of phone capacity.
“This significant expansion should allow time to train enough people to handle the number of calls now being made and allow everyone to take advantage of this opportunity when it suits them.”