National Insurance after you move abroad

Whether you keep paying National Insurance after leaving the UK depends on who you work for, not simply on where you live. If you normally live in the UK and then work abroad for a UK employer, you are required to pay National Insurance while you are abroad¹. If you work abroad for a foreign employer, you will not normally pay National Insurance in the UK, but you may have to pay foreign contributions instead¹. You will usually start paying National Insurance again if you work in the UK, and you do not always need to pay it if you are not coming to the UK permanently².

If you stop paying while abroad, your State Pension record can develop gaps. You can still claim State Pension abroad if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions to qualify, but the amount might be affected by retiring or moving abroad³. If you did not pay National Insurance while abroad, you can check your National Insurance record to see how your State Pension might be affected². You might be able to increase the amount you get if you delay your pension, or pay voluntary contributions to fill gaps in the National Insurance record³.

The rules for paying voluntarily changed on 6 April 2026. From that date, the rules have changed if you live or work abroad, or have previously⁴. From 6 April 2026, you cannot pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance contributions for time spent abroad⁵. Existing Class 3 abroad customers can continue paying Class 3 National Insurance contributions without re-applying or needing to meet the new criteria⁶.

Whether you still pay National Insurance after leaving the UK

The starting point is that you will usually pay National Insurance if you work in the UK⁹. Leaving the country does not automatically end the liability. What matters is the employer and the nature of the work.

If you normally live in the UK and then work abroad for a UK employer, you are required to pay National Insurance while you are abroad¹. This covers people posted overseas by a British company, and it also covers students who take a job abroad during holidays with a UK employer. If you work abroad for a foreign employer, you will not normally pay National Insurance in the UK, but you may have to pay foreign contributions instead¹.

There are specific conditions for Class 1 National Insurance contributions when employed abroad. Your employer must have a place of business in the UK, you must be ordinarily resident in the UK, you must have been resident in the UK immediately before starting the employment abroad, and you must not be covered by any social security agreement between the UK and other countries⁷.

If you are not coming to the UK permanently, you do not always need to pay National Insurance². But if you return to work in the UK, you will usually start paying again². Paying National Insurance while abroad protects your State Pension and entitlement to other benefits and allowances¹⁰.

Voluntary contributions: keeping your State Pension record going

Voluntary contributions count towards your State Pension and some benefits⁴. You may be able to pay voluntary Class 3 contributions to fill gaps in your National Insurance record¹¹. Gaps can arise from periods when you were not working or claiming benefits, including time spent abroad¹².

There is an important caveat. Voluntary contributions do not always increase your State Pension¹¹. Before paying, it is worth checking your record to see whether the gaps you are filling would actually add qualifying years. When you make National Insurance contributions, you build up your entitlement to what are known as contributory benefits, and they count towards the State Pension¹³.

You may be able to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions for the current tax year and the previous 6 tax years⁷. The deadline is 5 April each year⁷. If you have gaps going back further than that, they may not be fillable.

Applying to pay voluntarily: paper form CA3916 by phone only

The online form CA3916 was removed on 28 March 2024, and applicants must contact the National Insurance general enquiries helpline for a paper version of the certificate application form¹⁴. There is no online version to complete.

Only use the application form for voluntary Class 3 contributions abroad if HMRC has written to tell you to do so⁵. You will need your full name, your date of birth, your National Insurance number, your address in the UK if applicable, and your address abroad if applicable⁵.

Your National Insurance number is needed to make sure National Insurance contributions and tax are recorded against your name only¹⁵. You can check your number using your online Personal tax account or on the HMRC App¹⁶. If you have lost it, the Trades Union Congress advises contacting HMRC to trace it¹⁷.

If the person who died was self-employed or paying voluntary National Insurance, the National Insurance Contributions Office is the contact for cancelling their National Insurance payments¹⁸. A benefit decision can be appealed online using a National Insurance number, the details of any representative helping with the appeal, and the mandatory reconsideration notice¹⁹.

Countries with social security agreements, including Australia

The UK has social security agreements with a list of countries. These are Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Chile, Gibraltar, Iceland, India, Isle of Man, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey and Guernsey, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Republics of former Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA⁷. India was added to the list on 7 July 2026²⁰. The UK also has a social security agreement with Ireland, which can be considered in certain circumstances⁷. There is a social security agreement between the UK and Ireland allowing existing reciprocal social security rights²¹.

These agreements matter for two reasons. First, they can determine whether you pay UK National Insurance or the other country's social security. Second, they affect whether your State Pension increases each year. Yearly increases are paid in countries that have a social security agreement with the UK, but not Canada or New Zealand²².

If you paid into another country's social security system, this may help you get a UK State Pension or increase the amount you get, and you may be able to get a pension from that country too²³.

Does time I lived in Australia count towards my UK State Pension?

Time spent living in Australia before 5 April 2001 can be added to the qualifying years in a UK National Insurance record⁸. This is a specific rule that treats pre-2001 Australian residence differently from later periods.

If you lived in Australia across that date, it is worth checking your National Insurance record to see which years count. Time after 5 April 2001 does not count in the same way. If you paid into another country's social security system, this may help you get a UK State Pension or increase the amount you get, and you may be able to get a pension from that country too²³.

Australia is not on the list of countries with which the UK has a social security agreement for the purposes of State Pension uprating⁷. That means yearly increases are not paid there under the agreement list. The pre-2001 residence rule is separate from the uprating rules.

Where time abroad does not count towards your State Pension

If you move abroad to work before you reach State Pension age, you might not gain qualifying years towards your State Pension, depending on circumstances such as whether you work for a UK or foreign company⁷. This is the gap that voluntary contributions are designed to fill, but they do not always increase your State Pension¹¹.

You do not pay National Insurance after you reach State Pension age, unless you are self-employed and pay Class 4 contributions²⁴. You do not pay National Insurance if you work past State Pension age²⁵. If you have reached State Pension age and are still in work, you will no longer have to pay National Insurance on your earnings²⁶. National insurance contributions are paid on earnings but not pensions²⁷.

If you live in the UK, you will not receive your state pension automatically when you reach state pension age²⁸. If you retire abroad, you can still claim your pension as long as you have paid enough UK National Insurance contributions, and you must be within four months of your State Pension age²⁹.

You must choose which country you want your pension to be paid in. You cannot be paid in one country for part of the year and another for the rest³. If you move to a country that is not in the list, the extra payment you get from deferring will stay the same and will not go up or down over time³⁰. Your extra payment will be based on the State Pension you are owed at whichever is later of the date you reach State Pension age or the date you move abroad³⁰.

If you live in Northern Ireland and you already receive your State Pension, you must tell the Northern Ireland Pension Centre before moving away, and again on returning to Northern Ireland⁸. Your Carer's Allowance will not automatically move to Carer Support Payment if you live outside the UK³¹.

Getting help and checking your record

You can check your National Insurance record to see how your State Pension might be affected if you did not pay while abroad². The government's online tool lets you pay Class 3 contributions by signing in with Government Gateway details³². You can also check your number using your online Personal tax account or on the HMRC App¹⁶.

If you are moving, living or retiring abroad, official guidance covers paying National Insurance while abroad to protect your State Pension and entitlement to other benefits and allowances¹⁰. For free, impartial help, MoneyHelper and the Pensions Advisory Service provide guidance on State Pension and voluntary contributions. Age UK offers information on challenging a benefit decision if you disagree with a decision about your entitlement¹⁹.

If you have a UK bank account, you may still be able to save with NS&I while living outside the UK³³. Insurance benefits on some UK current accounts may no longer apply if you move overseas. For example, Mobile Phone Insurance, Aviva Travel Insurance and AA Breakdown Cover on the TSB Select Added Value Account are only available to customers who are UK residents³⁴.