National Insurance credits fill gaps in your record when you are not paying contributions, for example because you are caring, bringing up a young child, ill or out of work. Some are given automatically, such as credits for people on Carer’s Allowance, Universal Credit or registered for Child Benefit for a child under 12, but many others only appear if you apply, including Carer’s Credit, credits on low paid statutory sick or maternity pay and credits transferred to a grandparent who looks after a child.

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What is the difference between Class 1 and Class 3 credits?

GOV.UK explains that you receive one of two types. Class 1 credits count towards your State Pension and may help you qualify for some other benefits, such as New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance. Class 3 credits count towards your State Pension only. Either type can turn a gap into a qualifying year, which is why credits should always be checked before anyone pays voluntary Class 3 contributions. How qualifying years build into a pension is covered in checking your NI record for State Pension.

Who gets credits automatically?

Situation Credit
On Jobseeker’s Allowance and not in education or working 16 hours or more a week Class 1
On Employment and Support Allowance, or Unemployability Supplement or Allowance Class 1
On Maternity Allowance Class 1
Getting Carer’s Allowance, or Carer Support Payment in Scotland Class 1
Over 18 and sent on a government approved training course of up to a year by Jobcentre Plus Class 1
Registered for Child Benefit for a child under 12, even if not receiving the payments Class 3
Receiving Universal Credit Class 3

Maternity Allowance is often claimed by self employed mothers; see Maternity Allowance for the self employed.

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Who has to apply?

These credits are not given unless you claim them:

  • Unemployed but not on Jobseeker’s Allowance: contact your local Jobcentre for Class 1 credits.
  • Meeting the conditions for ESA without receiving it: apply for New Style ESA to get Class 1 credits.
  • On Statutory Sick Pay, or Statutory Maternity, Adoption, Shared Parental, Neonatal Care or Parental Bereavement Pay, and not earning enough for a qualifying year: write to HMRC at PT Operations North East England, BX9 1AN, giving your National Insurance number, the period and why you are eligible.
  • Carers not on Carer’s Allowance: Carer’s Credit, a Class 3 credit, if you care for one or more people for at least 20 hours a week.
  • Foster carers, and kinship carers in Scotland: apply for Class 3 credits on form CF411A, with supporting evidence.
  • Grandparents and other relatives caring for a child under 12: Specified Adult Childcare credits, explained below.
  • On a government approved course of up to a year that Jobcentre Plus did not send you on: write to HMRC for Class 1 credits.
  • Jury service (if not self employed) and people whose conviction was quashed on appeal: write to HMRC for Class 1 credits.
  • Spouses and civil partners of armed forces members who accompanied them on an overseas posting: Class 1 credits for postings after 6 April 2010, or Class 3 credits for postings after 6 April 1975 if you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016 and are not getting Class 1 credits.

Before 6 April 2010, parents and foster carers were protected by Home Responsibilities Protection. If you got Child Benefit for a child under 16 between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010 but did not receive it automatically, you can still apply for it, online or by post, to get Class 3 credits.

How does Carer’s Credit work?

To get Carer’s Credit you must be 16 or over, under State Pension age and caring for one or more people for at least 20 hours a week. The person cared for normally receives a qualifying benefit, such as Attendance Allowance, the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment, the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance, or a Scottish equivalent. If they do not, a health or social care professional can sign the Care Certificate in the claim form. Income and savings do not affect eligibility. Breaks of up to 12 weeks in a row, for example a holiday or a hospital stay, do not stop the credit. You do not need to apply if you already get Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment, or Child Benefit for a child under 12.

Can credits be moved to a partner or grandparent?

Yes, in two ways. A spouse or partner living with the Child Benefit recipient can have the Child Benefit credits transferred, using form CF411A, where the recipient has already paid a year’s contributions and does not need the credit.

Specified Adult Childcare credits, available since 6 April 2011, let the Child Benefit recipient transfer the weekly Class 3 credit to an eligible family member who cared for a child under 12. Eligible relatives include a parent who does not live with the child, grandparents and great grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters, and their current or former spouses or partners. The relative must have been 16 or over and under State Pension age, ordinarily resident in the UK, and both people sign form CA9176. Two conditions often surprise families: only one credit exists per Child Benefit claim however many children it covers, and the application cannot be made until 31 October after the end of the tax year, so HMRC can confirm the parent already has a qualifying year.

Illustration only. Maya works full time and is registered for Child Benefit for her two year old son. Her own contributions already make each year qualifying, so her Child Benefit credit is spare. Her mother, aged 60 and not working, looks after the boy three days a week. Maya and her mother can apply on CA9176 once 31 October has passed, and her mother gains a Class 3 credit for each week of care. If Maya’s partner rather than her mother stayed at home, the transfer would use CF411A instead.

What about families caught by the High Income Child Benefit Charge?

GOV.UK advises claiming Child Benefit even if you choose not to receive the payments, because registering is what generates the credits. If you or your partner has adjusted net income over £60,000, the charge claws back 1% of the benefit for every £200 above that figure and all of it above £80,000. You can opt out of the payments, avoid the charge and still receive the credits. Parents who were eligible for Child Benefit for a child under 12 at any time from 7 January 2013 but did not claim it may be able to apply for replacement credits. HMRC has delayed that service until April 2027. People who reached State Pension age from 6 April 2016, or will before 6 April 2027, can report a financial loss from the delay through HMRC’s complaints process using the reference RCPC.

What goes wrong with credits?

  • Not registering for Child Benefit, often because of the charge, and losing years of credits for a non working parent.
  • Not writing to HMRC for credits after a year of low paid statutory sick or family pay.
  • Assuming caring automatically gives credits when Carer’s Credit has to be claimed.
  • Forgetting that Child Benefit credits stop when the youngest child reaches 12.
  • Married women paying reduced rate National Insurance usually cannot get credits.

If a credit is missing from your record, contact the office you applied to. If you disagree with a decision, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration.

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Reviewed by Christine Anderson, Broker, Solar Protect. Last reviewed 8 October 2026. Part of Accountapedia, the Solar Protect guide to UK tax and accounting. This page is general information, not personalised advice.