Carers Credit for State Pension

Carers Credit for State Pension.

This week Pensions Minister Ros Altmann has issued a warning to all people who are carers and are not working or paying national insurance contributions to check if they are eligible to claim "Carers Credit".  By protecting your National Insurance record with carers credit, you are protecting your entitlement to the UK State Pension.

Carers Credit is for people who are over the age of 16 years but under state pension age and are not accruing any national insurance credits via work or being in receipt of home responsibilities protection (for example national insurance credits if you are a stay-at-home parent, looking after children and are receiving child benefit). To qualify, you must:

• Caring for somebody at least 20 hours per week
• Over the age of 16
• Under state pension age
• Not receiving national insurance credits elsewhere

The person you are caring for must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:

• Disability Living Allowance care component at the middle or highest rate
• Attendance Allowance
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Personal Independence Payment - daily living component, at the standard or enhanced rate
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

Can I take a break?

You can still receive carers credit for up to 12 weeks even if you are not caring for the individual for the following reasons:

• You go into hospital
• The person you are caring for goes into hospital
• You take a short holiday

if the break is longer than 12 weeks you should inform the Carers Credit Administration unit (part of the Pensions Agency) immediately.

Download the Carer’s Credit claim form. This form includes a Care Certificate: you will need to ask a health or social care professional to sign it for you.

You can also get the form by contacting

Carer's Allowance Unit
Mail Handling Site A
Wolverhampton
WV98 2AB