No national insurance credits or payments since 2011, zero hours contract

[lizzieloo]

I just checked my national insurance situation, I had no idea I had a huge gap, I've been working on a zero hours contracts, low hours so I've been under the threshold for paying NI contributions (and tax) the whole time, £702 a month is the threshold I'm always way under that.

I just downloaded my p60s for the whole period but can only access my payslips back to 2018, I expect they exist on the system but I can't see them.

I should have been credited NI shouldn't I?

Help..!

 

[andysays]

I just checked my national insurance situation, I had no idea I had a huge gap, I've been working on a zero hours contracts, low hours so I've been under the threshold for paying NI contributions (and tax) the whole time, £702 a month is the threshold I'm always way under that.

I just downloaded my p60s for the whole period but can only access my payslips back to 2018, I expect they exist on the system but I can't see them.

I should have been credited NI shouldn't I?

Help..!

Have you been claiming any in-work benefits (eg HB, CTB, tax credits) during that time?

I know that you used to get NI credits when you were claiming Job Seekers Allowance and wonder if there's something similar which might apply to you in your situation.

 

[Looby]

Are you likely to have earned above the lower earnings level? This year it’s £120 a week. If so you would get credited.

Rates and allowances: National Insurance contributions

www.gov.uk

You can pay class 3 top ups for the state pension but I can’t remember how far you can go back. Handy if you have incomplete years.

 

[Argonia]

How did you check by the way? I need to check mine, I think I may have missed quite a few years as well.

Solidarity.

 

[Argonia]

Do you get credits for NI if you've on Universal Credit?

 

[hegley]

How did you check by the way? I need to check mine, I think I may have missed quite a few years as well.

Solidarity.

You can check at Check your National Insurance record

 

[Reno]

Are you likely to have earned above the lower earnings level? This year it’s £120 a week. If so you would get credited.

Rates and allowances: National Insurance contributions

www.gov.uk

You can pay class 3 top ups for the state pension but I can’t remember how far you can go back. Handy if you have incomplete years.

I think it's something like 5 years. After I returned from working in the US I didn't realise that had not paid national insurance for 8 years. I was able to pay for 5 years but not for all of it.

 

[Looby]

I think it's something like 5 years. After I returned from working in the US I didn't realise that had not paid national insurance for 8 years. I was able to pay for 5 years but not for all of it.

Just checked, it’s 6 years. I should have known as it used to be my job.

 

[lizzieloo]

Have you been claiming any in-work benefits (eg HB, CTB, tax credits) during that time?

I know that you used to get NI credits when you were claiming Job Seekers Allowance and wonder if there's something similar which might apply to you in your situation.

No, not been on any benefits since job Seekers allowance following a redundancy in 2012, I got too ill to work a full time job so took a zero hours job with less hours.

 

[andysays]

No, not been on any benefits since job Seekers allowance following a redundancy in 2012, I got too ill to work a full time job so took a zero hours job with less hours.

Just a thought, hope you manage to resolve your situation.

 

[nogojones]

If you're lacking, what imapct does that have?

 

[equationgirl]

If you're lacking, what imapct does that have?

It means your state pension could be affected, as you need to pay full NI contributions for X years to get a full pension. I think.

 

[smmudge]

Need 35 years for full state pension. But anything from 10 years will get you a proportion of it.

 

[nogojones]

Need 35 years for full state pension. But anything from 10 years will get you a proportion of it.

I'm sort of on track then. When I get my 35 can I fuck them off on NI after that?

 

[strung out]

I'm sort of on track then. When I get my 35 can I fuck them off on NI after that?

You still need to pay NI if you earn over the weekly threshold, you just don't get any extra benefits from it.

 

[Edie]

I’ve got an 8 year gap. It’s way more than 6 years ago tho so can’t pay it.

edit: It’s okay, I still have TWENTY FOUR more years to work til I can claim my pension anyway so there’s time yet to get up to the full £175 a week. You must be about the same lizzieloo?

 

[lizzieloo]

This is proper shit, I took a job with a zero hours contract where I'm guaranteed a week a month work and any on top is a bonus, I do get extra hours but never enough to take me over £700 a month, but I took it because I didn't want to be off sick, My mental health has scuppered my career I don't think I'll ever be able to work full time again.

I did what I thought was best, but now it seems that I'll be better off if I am officially off sick.

I'm not entitled to ESA though as that's means tested, my husband earns just enough for me to get nothing

What would I be entitled to? like even just to get NI credits, not necessarily any money?

 

[lizzieloo]

I’ve got an 8 year gap. It’s way more than 6 years ago tho so can’t pay it.

edit: It’s okay, I still have TWENTY FOUR more years to work til I can claim my pension anyway so there’s time yet to get up to the full £175 a week. You must be about the same lizzieloo?

I am but I earn less than the threshold to pay NI and so get no credits, that just seems proper shit, I'd get credits if I was signing on but get none for working part time when I can't work full time cos of my health.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

I'm sort of on track then. When I get my 35 can I fuck them off on NI after that?

You have to be careful though. I was made redundant back in 2010. At that time you only needed 30 year's NI contributions to get the full state pension. Then they bumped it up to 35 years. I was still OK, or so I thought. Then it turned out that if you had been in a contracted-out pension scheme your NI for those years no longer counted in full. I'd been in just such a scheme for 4 1/2 years once. So I needed to get some more NI contributions sorted, but for a year or so that wasn't possible (government admin cockup).
Two basic points. Check you don't have any contracted-out NI and if you do check its impact on your pension. And even if things are looking good keep an eye on the rules and regs, cos they could change with little warning.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

This is proper shit, I took a job with a zero hours contract where I'm guaranteed a week a month work and any on top is a bonus, I do get extra hours but never enough to take me over £700 a month, but I took it because I didn't want to be off sick, My mental health has scuppered my career I don't think I'll ever be able to work full time again.

I did what I thought was best, but now it seems that I'll be better off if I am officially off sick.

I'm not entitled to ESA though as that's means tested, my husband earns just enough for me to get nothing

What would I be entitled to? like even just to get NI credits, not necessarily any money?

Fwiw, if your hubby gets the full state pension then you'd be entitled to 60% of his basic pension in your own right, irrespective of your own NI contributions. Not until he and you are both at pension age. There may be age restrictions on this, so don't quote me. Check on Martin Lewis money expert.

 

[Nivag]

Is it actually worth topping up the missing years or better invest the money elsewhere?

 

[strung out]

Is it actually worth topping up the missing years or better invest the money elsewhere?

If you're struggling to hit the full 35 years otherwise, then it's almost always a better idea to top up the missing years. The only exception is if you think you might not live to state retirement age (or not far past it).