Voluntary National Insurance contributions

Please see below the message we are sharing on behalf of HMRC:

Since, 31 January 2024, many people applying to HMRC to pay voluntary Class 2 or 3 National Insurance contributions (NICs) for periods of living or working abroad have been able to submit an application digitally.

If they are paying their own voluntary contributions, and they do not wish to pay by direct debit, they can access the digital process via GOV.UK. They can then use the Document Checking Service on the GOV.UK ID Check app to verify their identity, giving them access to a secure HMRC web portal.

Applying to pay voluntary Class 2 or 3 National Insurance contributions (NICs) digitally means they no longer need to post a CF83 form - making it quicker and more secure than the current process. The interactive form also uses intelligent questioning to gather all the information HMRC needs to determine (1) if they are eligible to pay voluntary NICs, and (2) whether these should be Class 2 or Class 3 NICs. It also works better with assistive technology and provides extra support through iterative guidance and validating answers to make sure they’re in the correct format.

HMRC are continually working to help more people get access to our online services while keeping customers’ information secure. International customers can verify their identity using GOV.UK ID Check app to access this and other services.

The digital route will not be suitable for all customers - for example, if they are making National Insurance contributions for someone else, if they wish to pay their voluntary contributions via direct debit, or if they do not have an existing digital footprint with HMRC. For these customers, they can now find all the information they need, including new improved ‘Print and post’ options on GOV.UK.