State pension record

I was discussing pensions with a client recently – both he and his wife are in their mid-fifties. My client has been paying National Insurance contributions (NICs) for more than 30 years and I presume that he will qualify for a full state pension in due course.

However it transpired that his wife has only between 20 and 30 years of contributions and she is no longer in employment. There are no children and they both wish to maximise their incomes to have an enjoyable retirement.

The wife’s circumstances may of course change but I was wondering how her state pension entitlement could be increased. She could pay class 3 contributions but is there a cheaper alternative?

She did have her own business in the past which was operated via a limited company. However this ceased a few years ago – I did not act for...