National Insurance credits: who gets them and how to apply

National Insurance credits are a way of keeping your National Insurance record going when you are not paying contributions, for example because you are ill, unemployed, caring for someone or bringing up a child. They help to avoid gaps in your record and protect your benefits, and they count towards your State Pension in the same way as ordinary contributions but do not cost you anything¹.

You often receive the credits automatically, but in some cases you need to take action to get them³. The main split is between credits that arrive because you are already claiming a benefit, such as Child Benefit for a child under 12 or Carer's Allowance, and credits you have to apply for, such as the Class 3 Specified Adult credits a grandparent can claim for childcare³.

The government may give you credits so you can continue building up State Pension entitlement if you cannot pay National Insurance contributions, for example if you are unable to work due to illness or you are caring for someone¹. They build up qualifying years, which count towards your entitlement for the basic State Pension and other benefits².

National Insurance credits fill gaps when you cannot pay

The purpose of a credit is simple: it stops a period out of work, or a period of low earnings, from leaving a hole in your National Insurance record that reduces your State Pension later. You can get credits if you cannot pay National Insurance contributions, for example if you are unable to work due to illness or you are caring for someone¹. National Insurance Credits may be available if you are unable to make National Insurance Contributions⁸.

The alternative to a credit is paying voluntary contributions to fill in gaps in your National Insurance record, such as from when you were not working⁹. Class 3 National Insurance contributions are voluntary contributions, and they cost money¹⁰. Checking whether you qualify for credits first is therefore worth doing before paying anything, because a credit achieves the same record-building effect at no cost¹¹.

Carer's Credit is itself a National Insurance credit that fills gaps in your National Insurance record, and it helps build entitlement to the State Pension by making sure there are no gaps¹². The same principle runs through the whole system: a credit is not a payment to you, it is a marker on your record.

Who qualifies: illness, unemployment, caring and parenting

The qualifying routes fall into a few broad groups. You can get credits if you cannot pay National Insurance contributions, for example if you are unable to work due to illness or you are caring for someone¹. For carers, the test is caring for one or more disabled people for at least 20 hours per week¹⁰.

Parenting brings its own route. You might be eligible if you are caring for a child as a parent or grandparent, claiming statutory sick pay or looking after a sick or disabled person⁴. Child Benefit itself carries credits: a parent with a child under the age of 12 for whom you claim Child Benefit is among those who get Carer's Credit automatically¹⁴.

Universal Credit also carries credits for some claimants. This includes if you are in the LCWRA group, the group with limited capability for work and work-related activity¹⁵. The rules for who has no work-related requirements include claimants who have limited capability for both work and work-related activity owing to a physical or mental condition, responsible carers of a child under the age of one, and any claimant with regular and substantial caring responsibilities for a severely disabled person¹⁶.

Credits you get automatically and credits you must apply for

You will either get credits automatically or you will have to apply for them⁸. You often receive the credits automatically but in some cases you need to take action to get them³. You do not normally need to take any action if you are already claiming Carer's Allowance or Child Benefit for a child under 12³.

The main credits that need an application are:

• Specified Adult National Insurance credits. These are not credited automatically and need to be applied for using form CAP176².
• Military spouses credits. These credits are not automatically paid and you will need to apply².
• Carer's Credit, where you are caring for someone but not claiming a qualifying benefit.

Where a credit comes with a benefit, the benefit claim does the work. Carer's Allowance claimants automatically get National Insurance credits for each week they receive Carer's Allowance¹⁸.

Child Benefit credits for a child under 12 and how to transfer them with form CF411A

Child Benefit for a child under 12 carries National Insurance credits, and the person claiming the benefit normally receives them. The credits can be moved to someone else who is doing the caring. You can do this using form CF411A, where the partner of a Child Benefit recipient transfers the credits to themselves²².

The wider transfer route is the Specified Adult Childcare Class 3 credit. You qualify if you have cared for a child under 12 at any time since 6 April 2011 and the child's parent or guardian gets Child Benefit and agrees to transfer the credits to you³. Grandparents and other family members aged over 16 but under State Pension age who provide care for a child aged under 12 are the group this is aimed at².

There is a trap worth knowing about. If you claim Child Benefit on behalf of the child rather than the child claiming it themselves, your child will not get National Insurance credits²³. Where the child is over 16 and claims in their own right, they get National Insurance credits which count towards their State Pension²³.

Class 1 or Class 3 credits: what each one protects

Credits come in classes, and the class decides what the credit protects. Carer's Credit gives you a Class 3 national insurance credit for every week you qualify²⁰. Carer Support Payment in Scotland brings Class 1 National Insurance credits for every week it is in payment²⁵. Carer's Allowance brings a National Insurance credit for each week it is paid¹⁸.

The distinction matters because the classes do not all cover the same benefits. Universal Credit only provides class 3 credits, which qualify for the state pension and bereavement support²¹. Receiving Universal Credit is listed as giving Class 3 credits². Credits for full-time training count towards State Pension only³.

These credits count towards State Pension³. They help to build up qualifying years, which count towards your entitlement for basic state pension and other benefits². The government may give you credits so you can continue building up State Pension entitlement³.

Low earners: treated as paying between £129 and £242 a week

You do not need to be out of work to have your record protected. If your income is between £129 (the lower earnings limit) and £242 per week, then you will be treated as if you had made contributions⁸. This covers an employee earning from £129 to £242 a week from one job⁵.

The lower earnings limit is £129 weekly²⁶. The upper figure in the band is £242 per week, which is also the point at which employee National Insurance starts to be deducted: earning above £242 per week or £1,048 per month brings a liability²⁷. The two figures describe the same threshold in different periods, and the documents give both without reconciling them.

For anyone in that band, contributions are treated as having been paid to protect your National Insurance record⁵. In other words, a low-paid job can keep your record intact even though no National Insurance is actually deducted from your pay.

Can grandparents get National Insurance credits for looking after a grandchild?

Yes, through the Specified Adult National Insurance credits route. Grandparents and other family members aged over 16 but under State Pension age that provide care for a child aged under 12 can apply². You qualify if you have cared for a child under 12 at any time since 6 April 2011 and the child's parent or guardian gets Child Benefit and agrees to transfer the credits to you³.

These are Class 3 credits and they are not credited automatically. They need to be applied for using form CAP176². The parent or guardian's agreement is part of the process, because the credits are transferred from the person receiving Child Benefit rather than created afresh.

The same family of rules covers the transfer between partners using form CF411A²². Both routes exist because only one person can receive the Child Benefit credits for a given child, and the family decides who needs them most for their record.

Can foster carers and kinship carers get National Insurance credits?

A registered foster carer is among those who can get credits³. Foster carers can also claim Universal Credit if they satisfy the other eligibility rules²⁸. Where a foster carer is entitled to Universal Credit as a carer, Class 3 National Insurance credits should be given automatically¹⁹.

Kinship carers who are not the parent of the child they are raising may be able to use the Specified Adult route if the child's parent or guardian gets Child Benefit and agrees to transfer the credits³. The 20 hours a week test for caring for one or more disabled people is the other main route for carers who are not claiming a carer's benefit¹⁰.

Can I get National Insurance credits after reaching State Pension age?

Credits are designed for people below State Pension age. You pay National Insurance contributions from age 16 until you reach State Pension age, and you do not pay National Insurance after you reach State Pension age unless you are self-employed and pay Class 4 contributions²⁹. Carer's Allowance brings a National Insurance credit each week towards your pension if you are under State Pension age³⁰.

Because the credits build qualifying years towards the State Pension, there is nothing for them to add once you have reached the age at which the pension can be claimed. If you have received a letter about National Insurance contributions paid over State Pension age, HMRC has published guidance on checking whether the letter is genuine.

How to check whether credits have been added to your record

You can find out if you have any missing or incomplete National Insurance qualifying years, and how much they will cost to fill, by checking your National Insurance record at gov.uk⁴. The record shows each year and whether it is full.

If a credit you expected is missing, the evidence is usually the benefit award. For a refund of National Insurance contributions, the process asks for your claim reference number shown on your letter, your bank or building society account details, and a check that the values in your letter for Class 2 and Class 3 National Insurance contributions and National Insurance credits are correct.

What is changing with the National Insurance credits service in April 2027

A replacement National Insurance credits service is planned. While originally slated for an April 2026 rollout, the service is now delayed until April 2027⁷. The service is intended to let people claim replacement National Insurance credits where they chose not to claim child benefit⁷.

The background is a change made in 2010. From 6 April 2010 Home Responsibilities Protection was replaced by a weekly National Insurance contributions credit¹⁰. That is why the current system is built around credits attached to benefits rather than the older protection scheme.

Separately, the National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Act 2026 took effect on 29 April 2026. It does not change the credits described on this page, but it is part of the wider legislation governing National Insurance contributions.

Where to get free help

MoneyHelper provides free guidance on benefits and tax credits you can claim as a carer⁸. Carers UK and Age UK both publish free information on Carer's Allowance and the credits that come with it¹⁸. Contact, the charity for families with disabled children, covers Carer Support Payment in Scotland²⁵. For Northern Ireland, nidirect sets out getting credits towards your State Pension³.

If you are checking your record and find gaps you cannot explain, the starting point is your online National Insurance record, which shows the years and what filling them would cost⁴. For anything about a benefit award that should have carried a credit, the benefit office that pays it holds the record.