In-depth, practical guides covering every aspect of UK State Pension. Written in plain English, regularly updated, and based on official government rules.
Everything you need to know about voluntary National Insurance contributions: when to pay, how much it costs, break-even analysis, and deadlines.
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Updated: December 2025Discover the free NI credits you might be entitled to for caring, unemployment, or illness. Learn how to claim and backdate missing credits.
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Updated: December 2025Step-by-step guide to checking your National Insurance record, spotting errors, finding missing credits, and getting them corrected.
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What counts as a qualifying year, how to build them up, and how they convert to State Pension amounts. Includes examples for different employment situations.
Topics covered: Employment, self-employment, low earnings, NI thresholds, credits
Read full guide →Comprehensive guide to NI credits: automatic credits, credits you must apply for, how to claim, backdating rules, and common situations where credits apply.
Topics covered: Child Benefit, caring, unemployment, illness, maternity, jury service
Read full guide →Learn how to access your NI record online, identify gaps and errors, understand what different statuses mean, and get mistakes corrected by HMRC.
Topics covered: Accessing records, spotting errors, missing credits, contacting HMRC
Read full guide →Everything about voluntary NI contributions: when they're worthwhile, cost-benefit analysis, Class 2 vs Class 3, payment methods, and critical deadlines.
Topics covered: Voluntary contributions, break-even, deadlines, payment methods
Read full guide →In-depth analysis of State Pension deferral: how increases work, break-even calculations, when deferral makes sense, and real-world scenarios.
Topics covered: Deferral increases, break-even, tax implications, decision framework
Read full guide →Complete expat guide: claiming from overseas, frozen vs uprated pensions by country, paying voluntary NI while abroad, and returning to the UK.
Topics covered: Frozen pensions, uprating countries, voluntary NI, currency, tax
Read full guide →How divorce affects State Pension: pension sharing orders, NI credit transfers, inherited rights, and protecting your entitlement during separation.
Topics covered: Pension sharing, divorce settlements, credits, legal rights
Read full guide →Protect yourself from State Pension fraud: recognizing scam tactics, common pension scams, what DWP will and won't do, and reporting fraud.
Topics covered: Pension scams, fraud prevention, official contacts, reporting
Read full guide →Our main documentation pages cover many topics in detail:
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