Caring for someone can mean cutting back on work or giving it up altogether, and that can leave gaps in your National Insurance record that reduce your State Pension years later. Carer's Credit is designed to protect against exactly this. It is one of the least known but most valuable supports for carers. This guide explains what Carer's Credit is, who can get it, and how it protects your future State Pension.
What is Carer's Credit?
Carer's Credit is not a payment. It is a National Insurance credit that fills gaps in your record for the time you spend caring, so that those years still count towards your State Pension. The amount of State Pension you get depends on your National Insurance record, and years spent caring rather than working can otherwise leave gaps. Carer's Credit makes sure caring does not cost you your future pension.
Who can claim
You can claim Carer's Credit if you are aged 16 or over, under State Pension age, and you care for one or more people for at least 20 hours a week. This lower threshold of 20 hours is important, because it is below the 35 hours needed for Carer's Allowance, so Carer's Credit helps people who care substantially but not quite enough, or who cannot claim Carer's Allowance for another reason.
The link with disability benefits
Usually, the person you care for needs to receive a qualifying disability benefit, such as the daily living component of PIP, Attendance Allowance, or the middle or highest care rate of DLA. However, if they do not receive one, you can still claim Carer's Credit if a health or social care professional signs a care certificate confirming the level of care you provide. This means you are not automatically shut out just because the person you care for has no qualifying benefit.
If you already get Carer's Allowance
If you receive Carer's Allowance, you do not need to claim Carer's Credit separately, because Carer's Allowance already gives you National Insurance credits that protect your State Pension. Carer's Credit is aimed at the carers who fall outside Carer's Allowance, for example because they care for 20 to 34 hours a week, or because their earnings are too high for Carer's Allowance even though they are caring substantially.
Who benefits most
Carer's Credit is especially valuable for people who give up work or go part-time to care, and who are not getting Carer's Allowance. Without it, years of caring could leave gaps that reduce their State Pension by a meaningful amount. Because the State Pension depends on having enough qualifying years, protecting those years through Carer's Credit can be worth a great deal over a retirement, even though you receive nothing in your hand now.
Breaks in caring
Carer's Credit also allows for breaks in your caring. You can have a certain number of weeks off, for example if you or the person you care for goes into hospital or you take a short break, without losing your Carer's Credit for that period. This recognises that caring is not always unbroken and makes sure a short gap does not undo the protection you have built up.
How to claim
You claim Carer's Credit by filling in an application form, available from GOV.UK or by contacting the Carer's Allowance Unit, which also handles Carer's Credit. If the person you care for does not get a qualifying disability benefit, the form includes a care certificate for a health or social care professional to sign. It is worth claiming promptly, as the protection applies for the periods you are caring.
Why it is so often missed
Carer's Credit is widely overlooked, partly because it does not put money in your pocket now, so it is easy to ignore. But the long-term value can be significant, quietly protecting the pension you will rely on later. If you care for 20 hours or more a week and are not getting Carer's Allowance, it is well worth claiming, and checking your State Pension forecast to see how your record is building up.
How it differs from Carer's Allowance
It helps to be clear about the difference. Carer's Allowance is a weekly payment for caring 35 hours a week, and it comes with National Insurance credits. Carer's Credit is not a payment at all; it is only the National Insurance credit, for caring 20 hours a week, and it exists to protect the pension of carers who cannot get Carer's Allowance. So they overlap in purpose but serve different groups of carers.
Check your State Pension forecast
Alongside claiming Carer's Credit, it is well worth checking your State Pension forecast on GOV.UK, which shows how many qualifying years you have and whether there are gaps. This helps you see the value of protecting your record while you care, and whether any other steps, such as paying voluntary contributions for past gaps, might be worthwhile. Understanding your record helps you make good decisions about your future pension.
Other credits you might get
Carer's Credit is not the only way caring can protect your pension. For example, grandparents and other family members who provide childcare for a working parent can sometimes claim Specified Adult Childcare credits, and people claiming Child Benefit for a young child get credits automatically. If you have had time out of work for caring of various kinds, it is worth checking all the credits you might be entitled to, as together they can fill several gaps.
In short
Carer's Credit is a National Insurance credit, not a payment, that protects your State Pension while you care for someone at least 20 hours a week. It is aimed at carers who do not get Carer's Allowance. If that is you, claiming it can protect years of pension that caring might otherwise cost you.
Apply even if you are unsure
If you are not certain whether you qualify for Carer's Credit, it is usually worth applying anyway, as there is little to lose and your future pension to protect. The application is straightforward, and if the person you care for does not have a qualifying benefit, the care certificate route means you can still be considered. Many carers who could protect their pension this way simply never apply, so do not assume it is not for you.
Why it matters so much
The State Pension is built on qualifying years, and missing several years through caring can noticeably reduce what you receive in retirement, potentially for the rest of your life. Carer's Credit quietly closes that gap. Because the loss from missing years can far outweigh the small effort of claiming, treating Carer's Credit as a priority, even though it pays nothing now, is one of the smartest things a carer can do for their future.
Claiming is quick
The Carer's Credit application is short, and once it is in place the protection applies for the periods you are caring. Given how much a missing pension year can cost in retirement, the few minutes it takes to apply are well spent. If in doubt, ask an adviser to help you complete it and to check your wider position at the same time.
Where to get help
Free help with Carer's Credit and checking your National Insurance record is available from Citizens Advice, Carers UK and the Pension Service. For the main carer's benefit, see our guide to Carer's Allowance, and our guide to the State Pension explains how qualifying years work.