Project your State Pension at retirement age. See whether filling gaps in your National Insurance record with voluntary Class 3 contributions is genuinely worth it for you — with a break-even calculation in years.
Your details
Your forecast
Estimated weekly State Pension at SPA
£0
Annual
£0
Monthly
£0
The detail
Years projected at SPA
0out of 35 needed for full pension
Years short of full
0each missing year ≈ £6.81/wk loss
Current per-year value
£01/35th of full new State Pension
Lifetime gap value
£0over 20 years of retirement
Should you fill the gap with voluntary Class 3 NI?
Reality check. This is a guideline projection. Your actual entitlement depends on your full HMRC NI record, contracted-out periods (pre-2016 SERPS / S2P deductions), Reduced Rate Election history, and the triple-lock outcome each year. The authoritative figure is your official forecast at gov.uk/check-state-pension. Use that to verify before paying voluntary NI.
How the State Pension works
35 qualifying years for full
The new State Pension (post-April 2016 system) requires 35 qualifying years of NI contributions or credits for the full amount. With fewer years you get a proportional reduction (1/35th per year missing).
10 years minimum
Below 10 qualifying years you receive no State Pension at all. Above 10 years you receive 10/35ths and upwards.
How NI years build up
You earn a qualifying year by either (a) earning above the lower earnings limit through PAYE / self-employment in a tax year, or (b) receiving NI credits (Child Benefit, Carer's Allowance, JSA, ESA, etc.).
Triple lock
The State Pension rises each April by the highest of CPI inflation, average earnings growth, or 2.5%. The 2026/27 figures used here assume triple-lock at typical levels — your actual figure could vary by ±£5/week.
Voluntary Class 3 NI
You can pay voluntary Class 3 NI to fill gaps in your record (typically about £900/year). Each year filled adds about £6.81/week to your eventual State Pension — that's roughly £354/year of pension for life.
State Pension Age
Currently 66 (rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028, then 68 between 2044 and 2046). The SPA can also rise faster if life-expectancy reviews recommend it.