Back
GrantUK-wide

Carer's Credit

HM Revenue & Customs / Department for Work and Pensions

Description

A National Insurance credit (not a cash payment) for carers who provide 20+ hours/week of care but don't qualify for, or don't want to claim, Carer's Allowance — protects your State Pension record from gaps caused by caring.

Amount

Class 3 National Insurance credit for each qualifying week — no cash value directly, but protects entitlement to a full State Pension

Deadline

Rolling / no fixed deadline

Eligibility summary

  • Available across the whole UK (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland).
  • Open to individuals — not restricted to businesses.
Notes
Not a cash benefit — it's a Class 3 National Insurance credit that fills gaps in your NI record so caring doesn't reduce your future State Pension. Complements Carer's Allowance/Carer Support Payment rather than replacing them (both automatically include NI credits for the caring period, so Carer's Credit is specifically for carers below the hours/benefit threshold for those). This appears to remain a reserved, UK-wide credit even for Scottish claimants of Carer Support Payment — worth confirming if/when Scotland further devolves carer support.
Requirement
Care for someone for 20+ hours/week (but under the 35-hour Carer's Allowance threshold, or otherwise don't qualify for/claim it) who receives a qualifying disability benefit; carer must be under State Pension age.

Want help with this application?

This one is usually simple enough to do yourself using the free official link below — but if you'd rather have help, we're building relationships with vetted professionals and can let you know if that becomes available.

Some of the organisations we may connect you with pay us a referral fee if you use their service. This never affects which listings you see in the directory. No live partner is confirmed yet for this listing.

You can also do this yourself for free via the official source

How to apply

Apply by post using the CC1 claim form (downloadable from gov.uk), with the qualifying carer's and cared-for person's National Insurance numbers.

View official source

Last verified: 19 August 2026. See the footer disclaimer — this is general information, not financial or tax advice.