You may recall that HMRC recently announced an extension to the 2020-21 Self Assessment filing deadline from 31 January to 28 February 2022.
HMRC extends Self Assessment Deadline for 2020-21
HMRC have made an announcement around paying Class 2 Self Employed NI. Long story short, it needs to be paid by 31 January 2022 for it to count toward contributory benefits.
This deadline also applies if you want to pay Voluntary Class 2 in order to protect benefit entitlement.
Voluntary NI
Here is what HMRC said:
“self-employed taxpayers who need to claim certain contributory benefits soon after 31 January 2022 need to make sure their annual Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) are paid on time (this is to make sure their claims are unaffected) — Class 2 NICs are included in the 2020 to 2021 balancing payment that is due to be paid by 31 January 2022 and benefit entitlements may be affected if they:
– could not pay their balancing payment by 31 January 2022
– have entered into a Time to Pay arrangement to pay off the balancing payment and other Self Assessment tax liabilities through instalments
– affected taxpayers should contact HMRC on 0300 200 3822 for help as soon as possible
“Self-employed customers will need to contact HMRC on 0300 200 3500 for assistance if they have profits below £6,475 in the 2020 to 2021 tax year and:
– want to pay voluntary Class 2 NICs for contributory benefits after 31 January 2022
– paid voluntary Class 2 NICs through Self Assessment before 31 January 2022 but will not file their return until after 31 January 2022”