How much are voluntary National Insurance contributions?

What voluntary National Insurance is

If you did not pay National Insurance, or get National Insurance credits, for part of your life, you may have gaps in your record. Voluntary contributions let you fill those gaps. People usually do this to get, or increase, their State Pension.

Why gaps matter for your State Pension

The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27. If your record started before April 2016 and you were contracted out, you may need more than 35 years.

Class 2 or Class 3

You can pay Class 2 or Class 3 if you are self-employed and your profits are under £7,105 (or your gross income is £1,000 or less), or you do certain jobs like examining, being a landlord or an unpaid minister of religion.

You can pay Class 3 only if you are employed but earn less than £129 a week and get no credits, or you are not working, not claiming benefits and not getting credits.

You cannot pay if you are a married woman paying reduced rates.

What a full year costs

At 2026/27 rates, one full year of Class 3 costs £956.80 (£18.40 x 52 weeks). The same year at the Class 2 rate costs £189.80 (£3.65 x 52).

Different rates apply for recent years. For Class 2, the previous tax year is charged at that year's rate. For Class 3, the previous 2 tax years are charged at the rates for those years. Older years are charged at the 2026/27 rate.

Deadlines

You can normally pay for the past 6 years. The deadline is 5 April each year. For example, you have until 5 April 2032 to fill gaps in the 2025/26 tax year.

If you live or have worked abroad

From 6 April 2026 the rules changed. You cannot pay Class 2 for time abroad. You can apply to pay Class 3 for time abroad only if you have lived in the UK for 10 years in a row, or paid 10 years of qualifying contributions in total.

How to check and pay

1. Sign in to the Check your National Insurance record service with your Government Gateway details.
2. Look for gaps and see whether paying would increase your State Pension forecast.
3. The service tells you if you can pay online and how much it will cost.

Check before paying. A gap does not always mean paying will increase your pension.

Related guides

• How do I check my State Pension forecast?
• What are National Insurance credits?
• How much is the State Pension?
• What is Class 2 National Insurance?
• When can I get my State Pension?

Where these figures come from

• Voluntary National Insurance (GOV.UK)
• Voluntary National Insurance: rates (GOV.UK)
• Voluntary National Insurance: who can pay (GOV.UK)
• Voluntary National Insurance: deadlines (GOV.UK)
• Voluntary National Insurance: if you live or work abroad (GOV.UK)
• Check your National Insurance record (GOV.UK)
• New State Pension: what you'll get (GOV.UK)
• New State Pension: your National Insurance record (GOV.UK)