Readers’ forum: How to make up lost years for state pension entitlement

A friend has asked me about the rules on ‘buying extra years’ for the state pension. She feels that she was badly advised by her accountant in the past who did not tell her that it was worth paying class 2 National Insurance even though her sole trade made profits below the small earnings exception.

As a result she only has five qualifying years of contributions. She has bought the maximum of six extra years to make 11 but at the age of 47 she does not have enough working years left to bring her up to 35 and a full entitlement. She has no children and therefore does not qualify for the extra years by that route.

Is there anything that she can do? I am aware of a number of cases that have considered this kind of problem but because it is not...