Top up scheme allows pensioners to boost state pension by £25 a week

The top up scheme - which was announced by the Chancellor in last month's Budget - will allow people to make Class 3A Voluntary National Insurance contributions to increase their pension by between £1 and £25 a week. The scheme will be available from October 2015 to anyone reaching state pension age before 6 April 2016. The cost of the top up will be based on a person’s age and takes average life expectancy into account. For example, for a 65-year-old an extra £1 of pension a week will cost £890, whereas for a 75-year-old the contribution rate for the same amount of pension is £674, t...