The UK government has announced a further extension to the deadline for making retrospective voluntary NICs covering the period from April 2006 onwards. Eligible individuals will now be able to top up their NICs record until 5 April 2025, rather than 31 July 2023 as had been announced earlier in 2023.
Strictly, this is an extension to the transitional protection that was originally introduced alongside the new state pension which allowed individuals to make up gaps in their contributions record for the period from 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2016 and is separate to the regular six-year look-back period for which retrospective NICs can be made as a matter of course. The government is, however, also applying the extended deadline for all tax years which otherwise would reach their six-year payment deadline before 5 April 2025 (i.e. including 2016/17 and 2017/18). As with the previous deadline extension, any payments made up until 5 April 2025 will be accepted at the rates that applied in 2022/23.
The government also intends to set up an online service for the payments, further details for which are expected ‘in due course’.
The extended deadline will give potentially thousands of taxpayers more time to review their contributions records and decide whether to take action. As Victoria Atkins notes in the Treasury’s press release: ‘With the deadline extended, there is no immediate rush for people to complete gaps in their record and they will have more time to spread the cost.’
The UK government has announced a further extension to the deadline for making retrospective voluntary NICs covering the period from April 2006 onwards. Eligible individuals will now be able to top up their NICs record until 5 April 2025, rather than 31 July 2023 as had been announced earlier in 2023.
Strictly, this is an extension to the transitional protection that was originally introduced alongside the new state pension which allowed individuals to make up gaps in their contributions record for the period from 6 April 2006 to 5 April 2016 and is separate to the regular six-year look-back period for which retrospective NICs can be made as a matter of course. The government is, however, also applying the extended deadline for all tax years which otherwise would reach their six-year payment deadline before 5 April 2025 (i.e. including 2016/17 and 2017/18). As with the previous deadline extension, any payments made up until 5 April 2025 will be accepted at the rates that applied in 2022/23.
The government also intends to set up an online service for the payments, further details for which are expected ‘in due course’.
The extended deadline will give potentially thousands of taxpayers more time to review their contributions records and decide whether to take action. As Victoria Atkins notes in the Treasury’s press release: ‘With the deadline extended, there is no immediate rush for people to complete gaps in their record and they will have more time to spread the cost.’
