State pension top-ups deadline pushed back AGAIN as savers jam phones

Jammed lines: This is Money readers tell us they have still struggled to reach the DWP about top-ups after the first deadline extension (Stock image)

Phone gridlock has forced the Government to extend a crunch deadline to buy extra state pension top-ups for a second time – the end date is now 5 April 2025.

Ministers decided that following a surge in demand people will be given more time to benefit from the concession allowing them to fill up or buy extra years going back to 2006/07.

Savers can still do so at current rates of up to £824 for each year, and less for a part-year gap.

Following an outcry from frustrated savers – who jammed its phone lines for weeks –  the Government caved in to pressure earlier this year and extended the April deadline to buy extra state pension top-ups to the summer.

But over the months since then, we have continued to receive a stream of messages from This is Money readers, anxious they will miss the new deadline because it it is still almost impossible to get through to the Department for Work and Pensions helpline.

They tell us their calls are constantly cut off, either straight away or just after they have spent several minutes listening to an automated message.

Others have struggled to get hold of an HMRC reference number to make their top-up payment.

And a rising number have told us they spent hundreds or thousands of pounds on top-ups months ago, yet their state pension forecast has still not been updated to reflect these payments.

Today, Financial Secretary to the Treasury Victoria Atkins said: ‘People who have worked hard all their lives deserve to receive their state pension entitlement, and filling gaps in National Insurance records can make a real difference.

‘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.’

Pensions Minister Laura Trott said: ‘I am pleased to see so many people taking steps to review their state pension, which is why we have extended the deadline for customers to add extra years to their National Insurance record.

‘This extension means thousands more people will have time to check their entitlement, and in many cases, increase the amount they receive when they retire.’

Steve Webb, a former Pensions Minister and now partner at consultant LCP, said: ‘I am delighted that the Government has announced a major extension to the deadline for paying voluntary NI to top up state pensions.

‘This is a complex area with great potential for people to improve their position but also the risk that they may get things wrong.

Webb, who is This is Money’s pension columnist, added: ‘It is essential that people can talk through their options with the DWP before making any payments, and this has simply been impossible for too many people because of lack of phone capacity.

‘This significant extension should give time to train up enough people to handle the volume of calls that are now being made and enable everyone to take advantage of this opportunity if it is right for them.’

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk