How to Get National Insurance Credits

What Are NI Credits?

National Insurance credits count as qualifying years toward your State Pension, even though you haven't paid NI. They protect your State Pension during periods when you:

• Can't work due to caring responsibilities
• Are unemployed and looking for work
• Are sick or disabled
• Are on maternity, paternity, or adoption leave
• Are doing jury service

Value: Each credited year is worth £342/year in State Pension (same as paying £923 in Class 3 voluntary NI)

Automatic NI Credits

Some credits are added to your record automatically - you don't need to apply:

1. Child Benefit

If you claim Child Benefit for a child under 12, you get automatic NI credits.

Who gets it:

• The person named on the Child Benefit claim
• Only ONE person per child gets the credit
• Credits continue until the child turns 12

Worth knowing:

• You should still register for Child Benefit even if you don't want the payment (high earners) - to get the NI credits
• You can transfer credits to the other parent if you already have 35 years (form CF411A)

2. Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)

If you claim JSA while unemployed and looking for work, you get automatic NI credits.

Who gets it:

• People claiming contribution-based JSA
• People claiming income-based JSA
• Must be actively seeking work

3. Universal Credit

If you claim Universal Credit and meet certain conditions, you may get automatic NI credits.

Conditions:

• Earning below £6,396/year (Lower Earnings Limit), AND
• Either responsible for a child, or have limited capability for work

4. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

If you're too ill or disabled to work and claim ESA, you get automatic NI credits.

Who gets it:

• People claiming contribution-based ESA
• People claiming income-related ESA
• Credits apply from when ESA starts

5. Incapacity Benefit / Severe Disablement Allowance

Older benefits for people unable to work due to illness or disability (largely replaced by ESA). If you claim these, you get automatic NI credits.

6. Carer's Allowance

If you claim Carer's Allowance (caring for someone 35+ hours/week), you get automatic NI credits.

Who gets it:

• People caring for someone at least 35 hours/week
• The person cared for must receive certain benefits (e.g., Attendance Allowance, PIP)
• Worth £81.90/week (2025/26), plus NI credits

7. Maternity / Paternity / Adoption Allowance

If you receive Maternity Allowance, Statutory Paternity Pay, or Statutory Adoption Pay, you get automatic NI credits for those weeks.

Credits You Must Apply For

These credits are NOT automatic - you must apply to get them:

1. Carer's Credit

If you care for someone 20+ hours/week but don't claim Carer's Allowance, you can apply for Carer's Credit.

Who can apply:

• People caring for someone at least 20 hours/week
• The person cared for must receive certain benefits (or you have a doctor/social worker letter)
• You don't need to live with the person you care for

How to apply:

• Complete form CA9176 (downloadable from GOV.UK)
• Provide evidence of caring (benefit letters for the person cared for)
• Can backdate up to 3 months

Contact: Call 0300 200 3500

2. Specified Adult Childcare Credit

If you care for a child under 12 but don't receive Child Benefit, you can apply for these credits.

Who can apply:

• Grandparents caring for grandchildren
• Foster carers
• Parents where the other parent claims Child Benefit

Requirements:

• You must care for a child under 12
• The parent receiving Child Benefit must sign to agree to the transfer
• Parents must not themselves be claiming certain benefits that give NI credits

How to apply:

• Complete form CA9176
• Get the parent claiming Child Benefit to sign Section 2
• Can backdate to start of the tax year (so apply before 5 April each year)

3. Jury Service Credit

If you were on jury service and lost earnings, you can apply for NI credits.

How to apply:

• Complete form CF378 (available from court or HMRC)
• Submit within 3 months of completing jury service

4. Approved Training Credit

If you were on certain government-approved training courses, you might get credits.

How to apply:

• Contact National Insurance helpline: 0300 200 3500
• Provide details of the training course

5. Working Tax Credit Credit (for low earners)

If you received Working Tax Credit and earned below the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,396), you may get credits for those years.

How to apply:

• Check your NI record - these may be automatic
• If missing, contact HMRC: 0300 200 3500

How to Check If You Have Credits

Check Your NI Record

1. Go to gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record
2. Sign in with Government Gateway
3. Look at each tax year:
   • Years marked "Full year" or with a tick = you have enough contributions/credits
   • Years showing specific amounts or marked as gaps = you don't have enough
4. For years you got credits, it may say "National Insurance credits" or just show as a full year

Common Issue: Missing Credits

Sometimes credits don't appear on your record even though you should have received them. Common reasons:

• HMRC/DWP hasn't updated your record yet (can take months)
• Benefit was paid by a different agency that hasn't notified HMRC
• You needed to apply but didn't (e.g., Carer's Credit)
• Administrative error

What to do:

• Wait a few months after the tax year ends for records to update
• If still missing after 6 months, contact HMRC: 0300 200 3500
• Have evidence ready (benefit award letters, dates of caring, etc.)

Backdating Credits

Different credits have different backdating rules:

Automatic Credits

• Child Benefit: Applied automatically, but only if you claimed Child Benefit. Can backdate Child Benefit claim up to 3 months.
• Benefits (JSA, ESA, etc.): Applied automatically from when you claimed the benefit.

Credits You Apply For

• Carer's Credit: Can backdate up to 3 months from application date
• Specified Adult Childcare Credit: Can backdate to the start of the current tax year
• Jury Service: Must apply within 3 months

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Stay-at-Home Parent

Rachel:

• Worked from age 18-28 (10 years)
• Had children and claimed Child Benefit from age 28-40 (12 years of automatic NI credits)
• Returned to work at age 40, now 50 (10 years)
• Total: 10 + 12 + 10 = 32 qualifying years so far

Forecast: If she continues working until State Pension age 67 (17 more years), she'll have 32 + 17 = 49 years (more than 35 needed for full pension)

Example 2: Grandparent Carer Not Claiming Credits

Margaret:

• Worked from age 20-55 (35 years - already has full entitlement)
• Retired early and now cares for grandchildren 3 days/week (20+ hours/week)
• Daughter claims Child Benefit

What she should do: Nothing! Margaret already has 35 years, so Specified Adult Childcare Credit won't increase her pension. However, if her daughter doesn't have 35 years yet, Margaret should consider NOT applying so the daughter keeps the credits.

Example 3: Carer Not Claiming Allowance or Credit

John:

• Worked from age 18-45 (27 years)
• Cares for disabled spouse 30 hours/week from age 45-60 (15 years)
• Didn't claim Carer's Allowance (didn't know about it)
• Didn't apply for Carer's Credit (didn't know about it)
• Now age 60, checking forecast: only 27 qualifying years

Problem: John has 15 years of gaps (age 45-60) worth £5,130/year in lost State Pension

Solution:

• Unfortunately, Carer's Credit can only be backdated 3 months
• Those 15 years are mostly lost
• John should apply for Carer's Credit NOW (age 60-67) to protect the next 7 years
• He could fill some recent gaps with voluntary NI (last 6 tax years) if within deadline

Lesson: Apply for credits as soon as you start caring - don't wait!

Example 4: Unemployed Between Jobs

Lisa:

• Made redundant in July 2024
• Found new job in January 2025
• Didn't claim JSA (had savings and partner's income)
• Result: 2024/25 tax year only has 3 months of employed NI (July-Sep 2024 from previous job, Jan-Mar 2025 from new job)

Does 2024/25 count as a qualifying year? It depends on total earnings:

• If Lisa earned £6,396+ across those 6 months, yes (full qualifying year)
• If she earned less than £6,396, no (gap year)

What she could have done differently:

• Claimed JSA during unemployment (would get NI credits even if only small payment or no payment due to means-testing)
• Or pay Class 3 voluntary NI (£923) to fill the year if it ends up as a gap

Tips for Maximizing NI Credits

1. Always Register for Child Benefit

Even if you're a high earner and don't want the payment (due to tax charge), register anyway and opt out of payment. You'll still get the NI credits.

2. Apply for Carer's Credit Early

If you care for someone 20+ hours/week, apply as soon as you start (not when you're approaching State Pension age and realize you have gaps).

3. Claim Benefits You're Entitled To

Even if the benefit payment is small, claim it for the NI credits. Example: JSA might only be £10/week due to partner's income, but the NI credit is worth £342/year in State Pension.

4. Check Your Record Annually

Review your NI record each year to ensure credits have been applied. Easier to fix errors quickly than years later.

5. Transfer Child Benefit Credits If Beneficial

If one partner already has 35 years and the other doesn't, transfer the Child Benefit credits to the partner who needs them (form CF411A, must be done within 2 years).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Not Claiming Child Benefit Due to High Earnings

The Mistake: High earners don't register for Child Benefit to avoid the tax charge.

The Fix: Register for Child Benefit but opt out of receiving payments. You still get NI credits.

❌ Caring Without Applying for Credits

The Mistake: Assuming NI credits are automatic for all caring.

The Fix: If you care 20+ hours/week and don't get Carer's Allowance, apply for Carer's Credit (form CA9176).

❌ Waiting to Apply Until Approaching Retirement

The Mistake: Only thinking about NI credits when checking forecast years later.

The Fix: Apply at the time you start caring/become unemployed. Most credits have limited backdating.

❌ Both Parents Claiming Child Benefit for Different Children

The Mistake: Parent A claims for child 1, Parent B claims for child 2, both already have 35 years.

The Fix: One parent should claim for all children. If both have 35+ years, doesn't matter. If one has fewer, they should be the claimant.