I’m turning 65 this year. I was self-employed in the 1980s for a few years so it wasn’t possible to pay PRSI contributions until the changes introduced in 1988.While I was self-employed, I also spent just over a year caring for my children while my wife was working full-time.Is there any way of buying back contributions in my case?What recourse would I have to get the full contributory pension if I can’t top up? Currently I’ll be about two years short by the age of 67.Is my only option delaying claiming the pension and working until I’m 69 in order to get the full rate or should I just retire?Those who were self-employed in the 1980s, such as the reader, often find themselves in a “grey area” when it comes to the State pension, according to financial adviser Daniel Hardiman.Hardiman, who is managing director of Hardiman Life & Pensions in Tuam, Co Galway, says this is particularly the case if they have gaps in their PRSI record before the introduction of compulsory PRSI for self-employed workers in 1988.“The important point is that self-employed people could not pay PRSI contributions before 1988, so you are not necessarily treated in the same way as someone who simply failed to make contributions when they were due,” he says.Depending on the reader’s overall contribution history, they may still qualify for a higher rate of pension than they might expect, he says.However, there is generally no facility to retrospectively “buy back” missing ordinary PRSI years from the 1980s.“Voluntary contributions can help some people maintain a contribution record going forward, but they do not usually allow historic gaps from decades ago to be repaired,” Hardiman says.The period the reader spent caring for his children also may not fully qualify for relief under the Homemaker’s Scheme or the HomeCaring Periods scheme, he says, noting that they were introduced in 1994.“However, it is still important to have your record formally reviewed by the Department of Social Protection before assuming you will fall short of the full pension,” he says.This area has become particularly complicated as Ireland is currently transitioning between two different methods of calculating the contributory State pension, he says.[ ‘I worked ‘cash in hand’ for years. Will I qualify for the full State pension?’Opens in new window ]Where the older system was based on a worker’s yearly average of contributions over their working life, the new total contributions approach focuses on the total number of contributions built up over time.“At present, pensions are being calculated using a blend of both systems, with weighting gradually shifting towards the total contributions approach over the next 10 years,” says Hardiman.Under that approach, a person generally needs 2,080 contributions, equal to about 40 years, to qualify for the maximum amount.Because the current system is transitional, Hardiman says delaying retirement does not “automatically mean a better outcome”.“In some cases, particularly where someone has historic contribution gaps or unusual employment patterns, the older yearly average system can still produce a more favourable result.“That means the decision on whether to claim the pension at 66 or defer it until 68, 69 or later is not straightforward. While people can now delay claiming the State pension and continue working for longer to obtain more PRSI contributions, the financial benefit of doing so will vary from person to person,” he says.Because of this, Hardiman recommends requesting a full contribution statement and pension estimate from the Department of Social Protection.“A qualified financial adviser or Citizens Information adviser should then be able to compare the projected pension available at age 66 against the potential benefit of continuing to work and deferring the pension until age 69.“Getting an accurate personalised calculation is far more valuable than relying on general rules of thumb,” he says.One of the “biggest misconceptions” about the State pension is that working beyond 66 automatically guarantees a “meaningfully better outcome”, he says.“While delaying the pension may increase the eventual weekly payment, people also need to weigh that against the opportunity cost of giving up several years of pension income in the meantime.”If you have work-related questions, from how to deal with burnout to running your own business, The Irish Times Work Q&A column is here to help. You can use the form below to submit your question. Please limit your submissions to 400 words or less and please include a phone number. Your name and contact details will be confidential and only be used for verification purposes. Any details about your employer will also be anonymised.