Carer’s Credit and your State Pension

If you're not able to work because you're caring for someone, you may not be able to pay National Insurance contributions. Carer's Credit is a National Insurance Credit (not a payment) that could help with this. It helps protect your State Pension, as this is based on National Insurance contributions. It is especially worth looking into if you cannot claim Carer's Allowance.

Carer's Credit does not provide you with any money. It is a National Insurance credit which helps to fill gaps in your National Insurance record. If you're caring for someone with a disability or illness, including a terminal illness, this might affect your ability to work. This may cause gaps in your National Insurance record.

The government can give you Carer's Credit to fill any gaps in your National Insurance record, so you can still qualify for benefits such as your State Pension.

Whether you are entitled to Carer's Credit is not affected by any income, savings or investments you have.

To get Carer's Credit, you must be:

You do not need to get Carer's Allowance to qualify for Carer's Credit.

The person you're caring for must get one of these benefits for you to get Carer's Credit:

If they do not get any of these benefits, you might still be able to get Carer's Credit. When you apply, you should fill in a Care Certificate. Part of this form needs to be filled out and signed by a health or social care professional who knows the person you care for. See below for more information about this.

If you get Carer's Allowance, you do not need to apply for Carer's Credit as you will automatically receive Class 1 National Insurance credits instead.

You do not receive a payment. Instead, you will be credited with a Class 3 National Insurance credit for every week you qualify.

1: Check you're eligible for Carer's Credit.

2: Apply for Carer's Credit. You will need to complete an application form – see where to get these below. You cannot apply for Carer's Credit online.

3: Complete a Care Certificate if you need to. The Carer's Credit application form will tell you whether or not you need this. Part of the Care Certificate needs to be filled out and signed by a health or social care professional who knows the person you care for.

The address to send the application form and Care Certificate to are on the application form.

You can still get Carer's Credit if you take a break from caring, for example if you go on holiday or you or the person you care for goes into hospital. You'll be able to get Carer's Credit if your break lasts for up to 12 weeks in a row.

If your break is going to last longer than 12 weeks in a row, you should tell the Carer's Allowance Unit or, if you live in Northern Ireland, the Disability and Carers Service. Find their contact details below.

If the person you're caring for has a terminal illness and goes into a hospice, both their disability benefits and your Carer's Credit may carry on unaffected. However, the rules around benefits when someone is in a hospice can be complicated. So it's a good idea to speak to the government departments in charge of their benefits and your Carer's Credit.

If you have any queries about an existing Carer's Credit claim or need to report a change in circumstances or those of the person you care for:

Some benefits can affect the other benefits that you or the person you care for get, so it's important you have the right information and advice. Here are some organisations that can provide further support.

Here at Marie Curie we cannot provide information about your specific benefit claim. For all queries about claims, you'll need to contact the relevant government department.