National Insurance contributions
How are my National Insurance contributions paid?
You are entitled to the basic State Pension if you have paid, been treated as having paid or been credited with enough UK National Insurance (NI) contributions:
- If you are in paid work and you earn more than £100 in any week (for 2007/2008) from a single employer, you will pay NI contributions through your wages
- If you are working and earning between £87 and £100 in a week (for 2007/2008) from a single employer, you will be treated as if you have paid NI contributions
- If you have not been able to make NI contributions (for example, if you haven’t been able to work due to illness or because you have been looking after a sick or disabled person and getting Carer’s Allowance), you may be granted NI credits. Or, if you have been caring for children, been a foster carer, or been looking after a seriously ill or disabled person (but not able to get Carer’s Allowance), you may have the number of your qualifying years reduced to help increase your State Pension entitlement.
- If you are self-employed, you must pay NI contributions unless you have made a successful application not to pay because of low earnings. You must make these payments to HM Revenue & Customs yourself
- In some circumstances you may be able to use your wife’s, husband’s or civil partner’s NI contributions to help you get a better State Pension
From April 2010, you may be credited with contributions for periods when you were:
- receiving Child Benefit for a child under 12
- caring for a sick or disabled person for at least 20 hours
- an approved foster carer
If you reach state pension age on or after 6 April 2010, periods for which you have been awarded HRP before this date will be converted to credits.
Visit the HM Revenue & Customs website to find out more about National Insurance contributions
Remember
You don’t receive the State Pension automatically. It’s up to you to claim it. You will usually be sent an invitation to claim when you are four months away from State Pension age. If you are four months or less away from State Pension age, and you have not received your invitation to claim, download a claim form