Tag: digital service

£35 million added to State Pension pots

  • Only two months left to boost State Pension by filling gaps in National Insurance records from 2006 onwards
  • Since the launch of the digital service last April, 37,000 people have topped up more than 68,000 years, worth £35 million

People wanting to maximise their State Pension by plugging gaps in their National Insurance record have contributed to a total of 68,673 years, worth £35 million, using the online service since April last year HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed.  

Analysis of the digital service has shown:

  • more than 37,000 online payments have been made through the service
  • 65% of the years topped up by customers are from 2017 onwards 
  • the average online top-up payment is £1,835
  • the largest weekly State Pension increase is £113.76

HMRC and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are reminding customers they only have 2 months up until 5 April to check their National Insurance record and fill any gaps from 6 April 2006 onwards.

From 6 April 2025, people will only be able to make voluntary National Insurance contributions for the previous 6 tax years, in line with normal time limits.

The Check your State Pension forecast service on GOV.UK is the quickest and easiest way customers can check what their pension will be in retirement and take action if they need to. People can also use the HMRC app to check their State Pension forecast.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Second Permanent Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “There are just 2 months left to check and fill any gaps in your National Insurance record from 2006 onwards to boost your State Pension entitlement.

“Don’t delay – it is quick and easy to check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK and it could help your finances in retirement.”

Since the launch of the enhanced digital service in April last year, more than 4.3 million people have used it to check their State Pension forecast.

The end-to-end service means customers can also use it to check and view gaps in their National Insurance record, calculate the difference any payment will make to their State Pension and then make one payment for however many years they need to top up.

Everyone should be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone. HMRC scams advice is available on GOV.UK.

Check In Scotland launches today

A new digital service to support businesses in collecting contact details for contact tracing purposes, Check in Scotland, is now available in participating venues.

More than 6,400 venues have so far signed up to use this voluntary service for businesses in Scotland, supporting them to effectively collect the contact details of their visitors and customers.

The Check in Scotland service will enable people to quickly and securely provide their contact details by scanning the official Test & Protect Check in Scotland QR code poster via their smartphone camera or by downloading the Check in Scotland app.

Any contact details collected will be held in a secure, encrypted data store unique to each venue for 21 days. Unless information is requested by public health officials as part of their contact tracing efforts, visitor data is automatically deleted on day 22. Venue and visitor details will not be used for any other purpose.

Businesses that can use Check in Scotland include: 

  • pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes
  • tourism and leisure businesses, such as theme parks, museums and cinemas
  • close contact services, including hairdressers, barbers, beauticians, tattooists, sports and massage therapists
  • services run by local councils, such as libraries, leisure centres and registration offices
  • cremation authorities, burial authorities, places of worship or funeral director service rooms offering funeral services
  • places of worship

Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said: “As travel, retail and hospitality restrictions begin to ease and venues start to re-open, it’s vital that any close contacts of new positive cases can be quickly contacted and given advice to self-isolate.

“Check in Scotland is designed to give businesses an easy way to collect contact details from customers for contact tracing purposes. It is entirely voluntary and up to individual venues to decide what method they prefer to use to collect the required contact details.

“Together with the Protect Scotland app, Check in Scotland will help contact tracers reach people faster if there are coronavirus (COVID-19) cases linked to a venue they have recently visited.

“The faster we can contact people who might have been exposed to COVID-19, the faster we can stop the spread of the virus, and keep moving towards the return of everyday activities.”

Alerts will be sent by SMS, email or letter depending on what details users provide and will be clearly marked as being from NHS Scotland Test and Protect.

The Check In Scotland service is designed to complement the separate Protect Scotland app, which alerts users if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

People will only be advised to self-isolate if contact tracers believe they were in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. Otherwise they may be advised to watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, and to book a test only if they or someone in their household displays symptoms.

For more information, go to: mygov.scot/help-qr-check-in