State pensioners have told Martin Lewis they have been handed as much as £1,000 a year after a single phone call to the DWP following his advice.

Last year, the money expert was calling on state pensioners to check if they could benefit from buying extra National Insurance years before the deadline passed last April which for some could have boosted their state pension payouts by tens of thousands of pounds. After the deadline, several previous years all the way back to 2006 would no longer be available to buy back. It meant those who needed to boost their pension payments with extra years would potentially miss out on a lot of money, as they wouldn't be able to buy them back after the deadline.

Because of the sheer number of people rushing to buy up extra NI years before the deadline, the DWP added a hotline state pensioners and workers looking towards retirement could use to get in before the deadline to request a callback. The DWP, Martin said, had promised to honour the valid claims of anyone who requested a call back, even if that call back was made after the April deadline.

Today, Martin tweeted to ask for a progress update from those who asked the Department for Work and Pensions to call them back to make a claim.

He said: "Did you use the State Pension Top Up call back form before the end of the last tax year (while you could buy back to 2006)? I want to check that everyone who did use it has now been called back and done (or not done if that was best) what was needed? Please let me know."

Martin's followers confirmed that some had indeed been successful using the service, with some handed thousands of pounds a year, while others were still waiting.

@jan2555 said: "Yes I did and I was called back. Thanks to you my pension increased £1000 a year. I only had to pay £100 for one of the years. I always ignored doing it before because I didn't really understand the jargon. You put it in terms I understood."

@colinheward said: "I used it. It did take several months for the call back to come (October I think). But when it happened it was efficient, I bought the extra years and when I checked a couple of weeks later, they had been credited."

@somersetbagpuss said: "Got an initial call back in June, but they only wanted my NI number and said someone would call me back. They did, but not until the end of September.

"However, very helpful and patient and payment made."

But not everyone has had success with it.

@anna_damski said: "I got in touch before the deadline but have yet to receive my call back."

@jf99925 said: "My husband called 6th March 2025, left a message for a call back and he's still waiting!"

@bernimaz said: "I'm still waiting for my call back. My pension is due in September. I'm getting worried about it now. I tried calling the helpline but I can't make sense of the options."