Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting the National Insurance (NI)/State Pension scheme rules so that any NI payments made before State Pension age are taken into account so that they can contribute to gaining a Full NI Qualifying Year.

No such assessment has been made.

A person's working life is the period from the beginning of the tax year (6 April) in which they are aged 16, to the end of the tax year (5 April) before the one in which they reach State Pension age (known as the Final Relevant Year).

National Insurance contributions made during an individual’s Final Relevant Year count towards their National Insurance record however, contributions made in the tax year someone reaches State Pension age do not. This is because the administration of National Insurance records is carried out in line with tax years – from 6 April one year to 5 April the next year.

Over a working life, most people will build enough Qualifying Years to maximise their state pension.