HMRC has softened the deadline for people to plug gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record.

To mitigate the impact of last-minute inquiries about State Pension top-ups before the 5 April deadline, the government has announced that individuals who request a call back from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in relation to the issue will not be regarded as having missed the deadline.

Currently, savers can make voluntary additional contributions to plug NI gaps back to the 2006/07 financial year.

However, after the 5 April deadline, this will be reduced to only the previous six years. The government has set up an online call back request form for individuals unable to make contact before 5 April.

Steve Webb, former Pensions Minister, commented: ‘After the chaos in the run-up to previous deadlines, it is good that the government has planned ahead to make sure that people do not miss out simply because they cannot get through on official phone lines to discuss State Pension top-ups.’