Irish people who worked in UK warned chance for ‘cheap top-up’ British state pensions is ending soon

People who worked in the UK for less than 10 years have been warned that the deadline is approaching for them to cheaply boost their British state pension.

They could benefit by thousands of euro a year if they act fast, Galway-based UK state pension specialists XtraPension said.

The British government is closing a loophole that allows people with fewer than 10 years of contributions to top up their state pension entitlement.

After April 5, new rules will also make it five times more expensive for people living outside the UK to top up their UK state pension if they worked there for more than a decade.

Currently, individuals living outside the UK who worked there for between one and 10 years can increase their UK pension entitlement by paying voluntary national insurance contributions at the cheap Class 2 rate.

After April 5, only people who worked in the UK for 10-plus years will be eligible to get or top up a UK state pension, according to XtraPension operations director John Ring.

Mr Ring said people will no longer be able to buy past years at the Class 2 rate unless they apply to pay voluntary national insurance contributions by April 5.

Mr Ring said it was well worth topping up a British pension: “Former UK workers can secure a full UK state pension that can be worth up to €14,000 per year from age 67, with no impact on their Irish or other private pensions.”

People who apply to top up by April 5 can purchase up to six previous years at the Class 2 rate. After that date, new applicants will need to have lived or worked in the UK for at least 10 years, and will only be able to pay the more expensive Class 3 contributions.

Mr Ring said that some people view Class 3 pensions as expensive compared to Class 2, but they can still offer strong value.

“UK consumer finance expert Martin Lewis described Class 3 as ‘one of the best returns you’ll ever get’,” he said. “Even at the Class 3 rate, you get around €8 back for every €1 paid in over a 20-year retirement, and that income is 100pc guaranteed, compared to a private pension where the return is generally much less and not guaranteed.”

Source: Charlie Weston, Irish Independent, 14th January 2026.