Do carers get State Pension credits?

If you are caring for someone and not working, you may still be building up your State Pension. Carer's Credit is a National Insurance credit that fills gaps in your National Insurance record, so you can qualify for the State Pension and other benefits¹. It does not pay you any money. It gives you National Insurance credit instead².

You can claim Carer's Credit if you are aged 16 or over, under State Pension age, and you spend at least 20 hours a week caring for someone who gets a benefit because of their illness or disability³. You do not need to be paid, and you do not need to be claiming Carer's Allowance. The credit is aimed at people who cannot work because of their caring role, or who are not earning enough to pay National Insurance⁴.

The rules are different if you already get Carer's Allowance, Carer Support Payment or Universal Credit as a carer. In those cases you are already getting National Insurance credits, so you do not need to claim Carer's Credit separately¹. If you are over State Pension age, Carer's Credit is not available, but other benefits may be.

Carer's Credit fills gaps in your National Insurance record

Your State Pension is built from your National Insurance record. Each qualifying year adds to the amount you can get when you reach State Pension age. If you take time out of work to care for someone, those years can leave gaps. Carer's Credit is designed to fill them¹.

The credit works by giving you a qualifying year for National Insurance purposes, even though you are not paying contributions. The government describes it as a way to continue building up State Pension entitlement if you are unable to pay National Insurance because you are ill or caring for someone⁶. National Insurance credits help to avoid gaps in your record and protect your benefits⁷.

Carer's Credit is not the only way to protect your record while caring. If you claim Child Benefit for a child under 12, you get National Insurance credits automatically⁸. If you receive Carer's Allowance, you are credited automatically each week you get it⁹. Carer's Credit is for carers who fall between those routes: people who are caring for at least 20 hours a week but who do not qualify for Carer's Allowance, often because they do not meet its higher hours threshold or because they are not eligible for other reasons⁴.

The credit is not means-tested. You can claim it whether you have savings or not, and whether or not you have other income. What matters is the hours you care and the benefit the person you care for receives³.

Who can get Carer's Credit: under State Pension age, caring 20 hours a week

To qualify for Carer's Credit, you must meet all of the following conditions. You must be aged 16 or over³. You must be under State Pension age³. You must not already be getting Carer's Allowance³. You must spend at least 20 hours a week caring for someone³. And the person you care for must get a benefit because of their illness or disability³.

The 20-hour threshold is the key figure. It is lower than the threshold for Carer's Allowance, which requires more than 35 hours a week of care¹⁰. That difference is deliberate: Carer's Credit exists partly to help people who care for 20 hours or more but who do not reach the 35-hour threshold for Carer's Allowance⁴.

The hours can be split across more than one person. The rules refer to caring for one or more people for 20 hours a week or more¹¹. If you care for two people, the hours you spend on each can be added together to reach the threshold.

The person you care for must be getting a qualifying disability benefit. The exact benefit depends on where in the UK they live. In England, Scotland and Wales, this could be Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or another listed benefit³. In Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment is also a qualifying benefit¹¹. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent benefits apply¹².

You do not need to be related to the person you care for, and you do not need to live with them. You do not need to be their official carer or have any formal caring arrangement. What matters is the hours and the benefit³.

How Carer's Credit protects your State Pension

Carer's Credit gives you Class 1 National Insurance credits⁵. These count towards your State Pension and may help you qualify for some other benefits, such as new style Jobseeker's Allowance and new style Employment and Support Allowance¹³. Class 1 credits are the same type of credit you get if you receive Carer's Allowance⁵.

The credit is paid directly towards your National Insurance record. Your benefit claim should tell you how much is being paid towards your National Insurance¹⁴. It does not appear as money in your bank account. It appears as a qualifying year on your National Insurance record.

The amount of State Pension you eventually receive depends on your National Insurance credits and contributions¹⁵. Each qualifying year adds to your State Pension. Carer's Credit helps you build those years while you are caring, so that your State Pension is not reduced because you took time out of work.

If you have a break from caring, you can keep your National Insurance credit for up to 12 weeks without losing it for State Pension purposes⁴. This means a short break, for example a hospital stay or a holiday, does not break your record.

Carer's Credit also protects your entitlement to bereavement benefits and, in some cases, to the additional State Pension. Claiming Carer's Credit can count towards the state second pension for carers¹⁶.

Where Carer's Credit does not apply

Carer's Credit is not available once you reach State Pension age³. If you are over State Pension age and caring for someone, you may still be able to claim Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment¹⁷. You may also be able to claim Pension Credit if your income is low. Pension Credit includes an extra amount for carers, often called the carer premium, if you qualify for Carer's Allowance or have an underlying entitlement to it¹⁸.

If you are already getting Carer's Allowance, you do not need Carer's Credit. Carer's Allowance gives you National Insurance credits automatically for each week you receive it⁹. The same applies if you get Carer Support Payment in Scotland¹.

If you are working and paying National Insurance, you may not need Carer's Credit. But there is no rule that stops you claiming it if you meet the other conditions. If your earnings are below the threshold for paying National Insurance, Carer's Credit can fill the gap³.

If you care for fewer than 20 hours a week, you will not qualify for Carer's Credit on that basis⁴. You may still be building up National Insurance through work or through another credit, such as Child Benefit for a child under 12⁸.

Carer's Credit does not give you any money. If you need financial support now, you may be able to claim Carer's Allowance, Carer Support Payment in Scotland, or Universal Credit as a carer¹. If you get State Pension or Pension Credit, you might not get Carer's Allowance, but you may still have an underlying entitlement to it¹⁹.

If you care for more than one person

You can get Carer's Credit if you care for more than one person, as long as the total hours reach the 20 hours a week threshold¹¹. The rules refer to caring for one or more people for 20 hours a week or more¹¹.

If you are claiming Carer's Allowance, the rules are different. You can only claim Carer's Allowance for one of the people you care for, even if you care for several²⁰. The same limit applies to the carer element of Universal Credit: you can only get one carer element even if you are caring for more than one person²¹.

In Scotland, there is a Carer Additional Person Payment for people who care for more than one person²². A carer can receive more than one Carer Additional Person Payment if they care for more than one additional cared for person²³. This is a separate payment from Carer's Credit and does not affect your National Insurance record.

If you care for more than one person and you are not sure whether you qualify for Carer's Credit, the safest approach is to apply. The application will assess your hours and the benefits the people you care for receive³.

If you work as well as care

You can claim Carer's Credit if you work as well as care, as long as you meet the other conditions³. There is no earnings limit for Carer's Credit. What matters is that you are under State Pension age, caring for at least 20 hours a week, and the person you care for gets a qualifying benefit.

If you are working and paying National Insurance, you may already be building up your State Pension through your earnings. In that case, Carer's Credit may not add anything to your record. But claiming it does no harm, and it can fill gaps in weeks when your earnings are low.

If you are working and claiming Universal Credit, you may be able to claim Carer's Allowance at the same time if you meet the eligibility rules for both³. You do not need to be getting Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment to get Carer's Credit; you only need to show that you meet the relevant qualifying conditions²⁴.

If you are self-employed and caring, the same rules apply. Carer's Credit can fill gaps in your National Insurance record if your self-employed earnings are below the threshold for paying contributions³.

If you reach State Pension age

Carer's Credit stops at State Pension age. You cannot claim it once you have reached State Pension age³. This is because Carer's Credit is designed to protect your record while you are still building up your State Pension. Once you reach State Pension age, your State Pension is calculated and paid.

You may still be able to claim Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment if you are over State Pension age¹⁷. The rules are slightly different: if you are receiving a State Pension, you will not be able to claim Carer's Allowance at the same time, but you may still benefit from what is known as an underlying entitlement to it¹⁹. An underlying entitlement can still give you access to the carer premium in Pension Credit¹⁸.

Pension Credit is a benefit you can get if you have reached State Pension age and your income is low³. If you live with a partner, you can only claim Pension Credit if you have both reached State Pension age³. Pension Credit includes an extra amount for carers, often called the carer premium, if you qualify for Carer's Allowance or have an underlying entitlement to it¹⁸. The Pension Credit extra amount for carers is paid for a further eight weeks after Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment stops, and for 12 weeks for Carer Support Payment following the death of a cared-for person²⁵.

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, you may still be able to get Savings Credit as part of Pension Credit, depending on your circumstances²⁶. Savings Credit is not available to people who reached State Pension age after that date²⁷.

How to claim Carer's Credit

You apply for Carer's Credit through the government's online service or by post. You will need to provide details of the person you care for, including the benefit they receive, and confirm that you provide at least 20 hours of care a week³.

If you already get Carer's Allowance, Carer Support Payment or Universal Credit as a carer, you do not need to claim Carer's Credit. You are already getting National Insurance credits¹.

If you are not sure whether you qualify, it is worth applying. The application will assess your circumstances. If you are turned down, you can ask for the decision to be reconsidered and, if necessary, appeal.

Free, impartial help is available. MoneyHelper provides guidance on benefits for carers³. Carers UK offers advice on Carer's Credit and State Pension⁴. Citizens Advice and other local advice services can help with applications and appeals.