You said you started work in 1988, which means you might already have worked for 35 qualifying years – the number needed for you to have your full state pension entitlement, which in your case would be minus any amount missing from being contracted out. If you already have a full National Insurance record, with no missing years, you won’t need to make voluntary contributions.If there are any gaps in your record, perhaps because you earned less than the “lower earnings limit” for a time, you might be able to...