Martin Lewis urges people to check for £5,400 State Pension income top-up before deadline next year

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Nearly 10 million people across the UK are receiving New State Pension payments of up to £221.20 each week, equivalent to £884.80 per four-weekly pay period.

However, Martin Lewis is urging all 9.7m New State Pension claimants to make sure they are receiving the maximum amount and if not, the consumer champion has shared some simple checks that could boost retirement income by more than £5,000.Writing in the latest issue on the MoneySavingExpert newsletter (MSE.com), the financial guru explained this is something everyone under 73 should check, explaining that “while ‘boosting your State Pension' doesn't sound sexy, it's the most lucrative thing many can do with their money”.It’s important to be aware that his steps will only apply to those claiming, or due to claim the New State Pension in the future - men born after April 5, 1951 and women after April 5, 1953.However, many people approaching retirement age may not be aware that to receive the full New State Pension, they will need around 35 years’ worth of National Insurance (NI) contributions.This is just an average number of years as some people may have been ‘contracted out’ and will need more NI contributions to qualify for the full amount - find out more about this on GOV.UK here.Martin explained qualifying years usually come from employment, looking after children and claiming Child Benefit, or through some DWP benefits.

But he warned that “many are missing past NI years, commonly due to years abroad, low incomes, career breaks or not claiming credits”.He said there are two crucial checks everyone should complete, which don’t take long, and could identify possible gaps in your State Pension.Martin explained how missing NI years, or partial years, can bring State