A 66-year-old pensioner handed over £15,000 to top up his state pension but was left waiting four months without confirmation of receipt.
Christopher Dehn, who lives in Portugal, made the payment in November and grew increasingly concerned as weeks passed with no acknowledgement.
The retired business owner feared his substantial sum had become "lost" in what he described as a "chaotic" system.
Dehn contacted the Government twice after making his payment, only to be told to "be patient and wait".
Speaking to This is Money, he said: "I am now worried that this large sum has become 'lost' in the apparently chaotic system which, I think, is letting me down."
Britons are rushing to make payments ahead of the April 5 deadline for buying missing National Insurance years.
After this date, people will only be able to backdate contributions for six years rather than all the way to 2006.
Dehn expressed his frustration, saying: "I believe that my payment should have been acknowledged when it was received and I question the financial ethics of taking £15,000 from a pensioner and giving no return on it for four months. It seems somewhat dishonest."
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He added that his poor health meant he was relying on the increased monthly payments to help with medical expenses in Portugal.
"Now I have neither the £15,000 nor the increased payments," he said.
Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb criticised the system's administration, saying: "Those who administer the system need to understand how it feels to be on the other side."
Webb, now a partner at pension consultant LCP, added that employing more people to process payments would be more cost-effective than having call handlers who can't properly track payments.
The Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC have since contacted Dehn.
His contributions were allocated, his state pension revised, and arrears processed within five working days.
Dehn received a backpayment of around £2,000, with his weekly pension increasing from £63.74 to £176.96.
The DWP and HMRC explained that Dehn did not indicate which years he wanted the money allocated to or inform them he lived abroad.
They noted he should have applied using the CF83 online form for people living overseas.
A Government spokesperson said: "Our new online tool will mean that people are able to make top-up payments after the April 5 deadline, provided they complete the call back request form ahead of that date."
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Christopher Dehn, who lives in Portugal, made the payment in November and grew increasingly concerned as weeks passed with no acknowledgement.
The retired business owner feared his substantial sum had become "lost" in what he described as a "chaotic" system.
Dehn contacted the Government twice after making his payment, only to be told to "be patient and wait".
Speaking to This is Money, he said: "I am now worried that this large sum has become 'lost' in the apparently chaotic system which, I think, is letting me down."
Britons are rushing to make payments ahead of the April 5 deadline for buying missing National Insurance years.
After this date, people will only be able to backdate contributions for six years rather than all the way to 2006.
Dehn expressed his frustration, saying: "I believe that my payment should have been acknowledged when it was received and I question the financial ethics of taking £15,000 from a pensioner and giving no return on it for four months. It seems somewhat dishonest."
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He added that his poor health meant he was relying on the increased monthly payments to help with medical expenses in Portugal.
"Now I have neither the £15,000 nor the increased payments," he said.
Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb criticised the system's administration, saying: "Those who administer the system need to understand how it feels to be on the other side."
Webb, now a partner at pension consultant LCP, added that employing more people to process payments would be more cost-effective than having call handlers who can't properly track payments.
The Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC have since contacted Dehn.
His contributions were allocated, his state pension revised, and arrears processed within five working days.
Dehn received a backpayment of around £2,000, with his weekly pension increasing from £63.74 to £176.96.
The DWP and HMRC explained that Dehn did not indicate which years he wanted the money allocated to or inform them he lived abroad.
They noted he should have applied using the CF83 online form for people living overseas.
A Government spokesperson said: "Our new online tool will mean that people are able to make top-up payments after the April 5 deadline, provided they complete the call back request form ahead of that date."
Find Out More...