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Voluntary National Insurance calculator

Cost of filling gaps in your National Insurance record with Class 3 or Class 2, the years still open, and what each year adds to your State Pension.

Voluntary Class 3 National Insurance costs £18.40 a week in 2026/27 (£956.80 for a full year). You can usually fill gaps in your record for the past 6 tax years, by 5 April, and each year filled adds at most £6.89 a week to the new State Pension (one thirty-fifth of £241.30). Sources: Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, s.13, Contributions Regulations 2001, reg 48, Pensions Act 2014, s.3.

Sets your State Pension age and the years you can still pay for.

Paid, treated as paid or credited. If you worked or got credits before April 2016, answer Yes.

Not counting the years you want to fill. Shown on your National Insurance record.

By working or credits, from this tax year, not counting a year you fill here. Prefilled with the most possible; lower it if you expect gaps.

Class 3 is open to employees earning under the Lower Earnings Limit, people not working and the self-employed.

Different rules apply: see “If you live or work abroad” below.

Working out today's tax year…

Rates and deadlines

RuleValueSource
Class 3, 2026/27£18.40 a week (£956.80 a year)SSCBA 1992 s.13(1); S.I. 2026/231 reg 4
Voluntary Class 2, 2026/27£3.65 a week, if profits are under £7,105SSCBA 1992 s.11(4), (6); S.I. 2026/231 reg 3
Earlier Class 3 rates2025/26 £17.75; 2024/25 and 2023/24 £17.45SSCBA 1992 s.13(1), earlier versions
Rate for a past year (Class 3)That year's rate if paid by the end of the second tax year after it; otherwise the highest rate sinceSSCBA 1992 s.13(4), (6)
Rate for a past year (Class 2)That year's rate if paid by the end of the next tax year; otherwise the highest rate sinceSSCBA 1992 s.12(2), (3)
Deadline5 April at the end of the sixth tax year after the year paid for (2025/26: 5 April 2032)Contributions Regulations 2001 reg 48(3)(b)(i)
Extended windows 2006/07 to 2017/18Closed on 5 April 2025reg 50C(4); reg 65BA(1)
What a filled year adds (from April 2016)£241.30 ÷ 35 = £6.89 a week, up to the full rate at 35 years; nothing under 10 yearsPensions Act 2014 s.3, s.5; SPR 2015 reg 1A, reg 13
When a late payment countsCounts from the day of payment, with no back paymentS.I. 2001/769 reg 4(3)(b), (7)

Last verified 27 September 2026 · the 2027/28 rates apply from 6 April 2027 once set. Applies across the UK, including Northern Ireland.

If you live or work abroad

HMRC decides whether you can pay; the calculator does not check it. The rules depend on the tax year you want to fill (Contributions Regulations 2001 reg 147, amended by S.I. 2026/294 from 6 April 2026).

YearsClass 2Class 3
2025/26 and earlierIf you worked abroad and were employed or self-employed just before you last left3 years in a row living in the UK, or 3 years of contributions (reg 147 as at 5 April 2026)
2026/27 onwards, new applicationNo10 years in a row living in the UK, or 10 years of qualifying contributions — credits and voluntary contributions for time abroad do not count (reg 147(11))
2026/27 onwards, already paying abroadNoThe 3-year rule can still apply if you paid for 2024/25 or 2025/26 and apply and pay in time — before 6 April 2027 (reg 147(6) to (10))

Apply with form CF83. You cannot pay online through the forecast service if you have lived or worked abroad (gov.uk).

What this calculator does not cover

  • National Insurance credits can fill a year for free (Child Benefit for a child under 12, Carer's Credit, some benefits): check gov.uk before paying.
  • Longer deadlines for years of full-time education, apprenticeship, training or imprisonment (reg 48(3)(b)(ii)-(iii)), and extra time or the old rate where HMRC accepts ignorance or error (regs 50 and 65).
  • A payment HMRC asks for in the last month of a tax year and paid within a month keeps that year's rate (reg 64).
  • Contracted-out years before April 2016, protected payments and inherited amounts: only your forecast shows what a year adds.
  • Special Class 2 rates (share fishermen, volunteer development workers) and Class 2 for specific jobs.
  • Married women and widows paying the reduced rate cannot pay voluntary contributions.
  • People over State Pension age, and years in other countries counted under social security agreements.
  • Arriving in or leaving the UK part-way through a tax year, and other benefits than the State Pension.
  • Tax on the State Pension, future uprating and life expectancy.

See what your whole record adds up to with the State Pension calculator, or plan savings to cover a gap with the savings calculator.

About this tool

Why use this tool

A gap in your National Insurance record can cost you part of your State Pension. You can often fill it by paying voluntary contributions, but the price depends on the year and on when you pay, and a filled year does not always add anything. This calculator lists the years you can still pay for today, prices each one under the rules in force, and compares the cost with what the year adds to your new State Pension.

How it works

Voluntary Class 3 contributions are £18.40 a week in 2026/27, £956.80 for a full year of 52 weeks. You can pay for the past 6 tax years, by 5 April at the end of the sixth year (reg 48): on 27 September 2026 that is 2020/21, until 5 April 2027, to the current year. A year paid within the next two tax years keeps its own rate (£17.45 for 2024/25, £17.75 for 2025/26); an older year costs the highest rate since, so £18.40 today. Self-employed people with profits under £7,105 can pay voluntary Class 2 instead, £3.65 a week. Each filled year from April 2016 adds one thirty-fifth of the £241.30 full rate, about £6.89 a week, up to the full rate at 35 years, and nothing at all while you have fewer than 10 qualifying years (Pensions Act 2014 s.3).

With qualifying years before April 2016 the value of a year depends on your whole record, including any time contracted out: the calculator then uses the weekly amount of your official forecast, or shows the gain only as a ceiling, or not at all.

Real example

Someone born in 1990 with no qualifying year before April 2016 expects 20 qualifying years in total and fills 2024/25 in the 2026/27 tax year: 52 weeks at £17.45 cost £907.40. The year adds about £6.89 a week (£358.50 over 52 weeks, in 2026/27 money), so it takes about 131.6 weeks of pension, around 2.5 years, to get the money back, before uprating or tax. Paid after 5 April 2027, the same year would cost the highest rate up to then.

Practical tips

Start with your National Insurance record and your State Pension forecast: they show your gaps, what filling them costs on your record and how your forecast would change. Check National Insurance credits first, which can fill a year for free. Pay the oldest open year before its deadline, and the previous two years before the next 5 April if you want their own rates. If you live abroad, the rules changed on 6 April 2026 (S.I. 2026/294): no more voluntary Class 2 for time abroad, and new Class 3 applications need 10 years of UK residence or contributions.

Disclaimer

This is an estimate from the figures you enter, under the rules checked on 27 September 2026, in 2026/27 money. It does not replace your National Insurance record or forecast, does not decide whether HMRC will let you pay, and gives no figure for people over State Pension age or for rates not yet set. It does not cover credits, contracted-out deductions, special Class 2 rates, longer deadlines for education or imprisonment, tax or future uprating. More on gov.uk.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to fill a gap in my National Insurance record?⌄
Voluntary Class 3 contributions are £18.40 a week in 2026/27, £956.80 for a full year. A year paid within the next two tax years keeps its own rate: paid by 5 April 2027, 2024/25 costs £17.45 a week and 2025/26 £17.75. Older years cost the highest rate since, £18.40 today. A partly filled year only needs the missing weeks.Source: legislation.gov.uk — Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, section 13, gov.uk — Voluntary National Insurance
How far back can I pay voluntary National Insurance?⌄
Usually for the past 6 tax years, by 5 April at the end of the sixth year after the year you pay for: 2025/26 can be paid until 5 April 2032, and 2020/21 until 5 April 2027. The special windows that let people fill 2006/07 to 2017/18 closed on 5 April 2025. Longer deadlines exist for years of full-time education, training or imprisonment.Source: legislation.gov.uk — Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001, regulation 48, legislation.gov.uk — regulation 50C
Is it worth paying voluntary Class 3 contributions?⌄
Each year filled from April 2016 adds at most one thirty-fifth of the full new State Pension: about £6.89 a week, or £358.50 over 52 weeks, in 2026/27 money. At £956.80 a year, that takes about 139 weeks of pension to get back. It adds nothing if you will reach 35 qualifying years anyway, nothing while you stay under 10 years, and possibly less if you were contracted out before 2016, so check your forecast first.Source: legislation.gov.uk — Pensions Act 2014, section 3, gov.uk — Check your State Pension forecast
Can I pay Class 2 instead of Class 3?⌄
Only if you are self-employed with profits under £7,105 (2026/27), where voluntary Class 2 costs £3.65 a week; at or above that, Class 2 is treated as paid. Class 2 must be paid by the end of the next tax year to keep its own rate. From 2026/27 it can no longer be paid for time abroad.Source: legislation.gov.uk — Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, section 11, legislation.gov.uk — section 12
Can I pay voluntary National Insurance if I live abroad?⌄
For 2025/26 and earlier years, you need 3 years in a row of UK residence or 3 years of contributions. For 2026/27 onwards, voluntary Class 2 is no longer possible for time abroad, and a new application for Class 3 needs 10 years in a row of UK residence or 10 years of qualifying contributions. People already paying abroad can keep the 3-year rule if they apply and pay in time, before 6 April 2027. You apply with form CF83.Source: legislation.gov.uk — The Social Security (Contributions) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2026, gov.uk — Apply to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad (CF83)
I have reached State Pension age. Can I still pay?⌄
You may be able to pay for gaps within the usual deadlines, but a late contribution only counts from the day you pay, with no back payment for earlier weeks. gov.uk asks people over State Pension age to contact the Pension Service to find out whether paying would help. This calculator does not work out an amount in that case.Source: legislation.gov.uk — Social Security (Crediting and Treatment of Contributions, and National Insurance Numbers) Regulations 2001, regulation 4, gov.uk — Voluntary National Insurance

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