State pension with 28 qualifying years — closing the gap.
What state pension do you get with 28 qualifying NI years? See your estimated pension and find out what filling the remaining years would be worth.
Twenty-eight qualifying years gets you 80% of the full new state pension — roughly £183 per week or £9,500 a year at 2025/26 rates. You are just 7 years short of the full entitlement. Those missing years represent approximately £2,300 a year in lost pension income for life. At this stage, the arithmetic of voluntary NI contributions is particularly attractive. Seven years of Class 3 payments at £824 each totals £5,768. The resulting extra £2,300 per year pays that investment back in around two and a half years. If you are within seven years of state pension age and still working, you will likely reach the full 35 years automatically. If you are already retired or have stopped working, contact HMRC to check which gaps are still eligible for voluntary top-up before the deadlines pass.