Key Post Step by step guide to applying for UK State Pension

I just found out today that I qualify for 18 years class 2 payments going back to 2006. The online form timescale was very short. I applied on February 2nd 2025 and two weeks later I could see online that my application was completed. Today I received a letter dated February 19th to saying that my application was successful. In total the process took 4 weeks and 2 days.

My circumstances are that I worked for 2 years in the UK from June 90 to July 92. Luckily these 2 years spanned 3 tax years and with the 3 juvenile years, my record says that I have 6 credited years. I worked in the UK prior to my departure and have been working continuously in Ireland since I returned. I pay class D prsi in Ireland and am currently job sharing, but none of this affected my application.

Hopefully I will live until age 67 and a few decades beyond to really benefit! I also need to figure out how to make the payments ,but I know others have already posted helpful info on how to do this, so I will investigate .Thank you so much to @DannyBoyD and all the other posters on this site who helped with information for my application form.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Fill in form CF83 which can be done online. [ The form can be done online but must be printed and posted]
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If you verify your ID using the GOV.UK ID check app you do not need to also print and post the online form. I just completed the process entirely online within a short time frame of just over 4 weeks.
 
Threadser said:
verify your ID using the GOV.UK ID
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Many people are stumbling at this step. Rather than waste time; if, for whatever reason it's proving tricky, the best advice is to print the CF83 and send it by recorded delivery.

The most important thing is to get your claim in by 5th April.
 
Hi Group
Should I be concerned that the letter I received showing the amounts of NICs I need to purchase does not align with the amount shown against my online account?
Is anyone else seeing this? The letter is showing costs for Class 2 NIC and online is showing Class 3 NIC ( £163.80 versus £824.20 per yr).
Thanks
 
"I understood from at least one previous poster that their application was solely done online. I haven't time right now to search for the post.

Makes me wonder are they putting up fresh barriers if its now necessary to print & post"

***


I did it online and got a receipt, you need to go through the ID process with biometric passport. Not everyone's cup of tea but I found it OK. Advantage is you can see your records, get an immediate receipt and it's quicker to make the application. You also provide all your employment and self employment record. Disadvantage is you can't explain any variations or complexities.

I will post my PRSI record to them and maybe explain that I feel I should have more recorded contributions and am chasing more detail on employers in UK. After that will ring or book a call back on the record of contributions
 
CF83 can be completed totally online, I did it for my wife last week at

Guidance – Guidance – GOV.UK

www.tax.service.gov.uk
There is also a section on website where you can fill in same information and print out and post, Make sure that you are in correct section.

Once submitted you will see a submission date etc..
And a few days later, it should appear in your submitted forms:
 
DannyBoyD said:
Many people are stumbling at this step. Rather than waste time; if, for whatever reason it's proving tricky, the best advice is to print the CF83 and send it by recorded delivery.

The most important thing is to get your claim in by 5th April.
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I agree that the most important thing is to get your application in by 5th of April, however the information at the start of the Keypost is incorrect. The online form does not have to be printed and posted if you have verified your ID. If this is a problem for you, then definitely post it before the deadline. The online route is much quicker though, for those who can access it.
 
mmclo said:
Disadvantage is you can't explain any variations or complexities.
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There is a box at the end of the online form which allows you to add additional information to your application. I am not sure how much text it allows, but you can certainly get a few sentences by way of explanation.
 
I paid my Class 2, 18 year shortfall a few days ago and when I was in the UK, I had to phone them a few times to ask questions.
I was told because of an absolutely massive backlog there is now up to a 63 week delay before payments are processed and you can visibly see online that the missing years have been filled.
 
There is a box at the end of the online form which allows you to add additional information to your application. I am not sure how much text it allows, but you can certainly get a few sentences by way of explanation.
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Yes that's true. I suspect it is useful (though not required) to send PRSI records from Ireland too so I'm doing that by hardcopy.
 
Can anyone tell me the phone number they used to contact uk about their NI contributions? Tried to ring just now and after five minutes of saying various things, the message was it's very busy , try again another time. There was no option to hold.
 
I called HMRC +443002003500 (3 times) on Tuesday and the wait time was no longer than 15 minutes each time.
 
Apply for a Gateway ID
I am trying to apply for my gateway ID. I have my national insurance number, it accepted my passport but it couldn't be verified, probably because my maiden name is on my national insurance record from 30 years, and my married name is on my passport. Is there anyway around this ?
 
@ Threadser great you got the response. Did you provide your Irish work details e.g. proof of contribution statement on return to Ireland. Is this required? Thanks for all the valuable information everyone.
 
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