Voluntary contributions of about £800 to £900 for each missing year could boost your state pension by thousands

There has been a surge in the number of people who have boosted their state pension pots, potentially netting them thousands of pounds more for their retirement.

Figures from HM Revenue and Customs showed about 23,000 ­people handed over a total of £27m in the space of about 10 days earlier this month. They were paying to fill gaps in their national insurance (NI) records in order to improve their eventual state pension.