Voluntary Contributions: British Nationals Abroad
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her department will release further information on the Voluntary National Insurance contributions for periods abroad.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson
The previous rules around voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) allowed those with a limited connection to the UK to build UK State Pension entitlement at a very cheap rate.
At Budget 2025 the Government took two immediate steps to fix the most unfair elements of these rules. From April 2026 we are removing most access to Class 2 voluntary NICs for periods abroad. This will prevent thousands of people who are not in the UK from building entitlement to a UK State Pension far more cheaply than working people here. Secondly, we are strengthening the link a person needs to have to the UK before they can build their National Insurance record abroad. A person will now need to have spent 10 years living or building their NI record in the UK, up from three years.
A Tax Information and Impact Note for these changes will be published alongside the introduction of legislation.
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