DWP gives update on promise to Martin Lewis that could help millions save for retirement

Delays to an online tool that could help millions save for their retirement, promised to Martin Lewis by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has been delayed according to an update from the government. Despite the tool missing a key deadline, the DWP is still saying it will go live "soon".

The online service, which would help people pay to top up their National Insurance Contributions before retirement, was first promised to Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis on his ITV show, by then-Pensions Minister Laura Trott. Then in October 2023, it was confirmed that the pensions tool would be launched before the end of the financial year, which was April 5 and has been and gone.

People who do not have enough years of National Insurance Contributions on their record to claim the full State Pension can pay to make up for the gap as a way of preparing for retirement, but the system is anything but streamlined. Now, the DWP has confirmed to Martin Lewis' website that the service has been delayed, with no new deadline for when the promised tool will go live.

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When it goes live, the new tool will allow workers to pay to top-up years where there was a shortfall in National Insurance Contributions, which are automatically deducted from your salary, currently when you earn over £242 per week. You need to have 35 years of contributions to claim the maximum State Pension, currently £221 a week.

But it can be difficult to figure out which years are the most cost-efficient to top up, with the current system requiring people to call a government phone line to talk it through. The promised new tool to help figure this out would allow