National Insurance Credits
What is a National Insurance Credit?
You may be able to get National Insurance credits if you’re not paying National Insurance, for example when you’re claiming benefits because you’re ill or unemployed.
To the extent necessary to make up a qualifying year, National Insurance credits can be awarded to you if you are:
- Claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (Class 1 credit)
- Claiming Incapacity Benefit (Class 1 credit)
- Claiming Maternity Allowance (Class 1 credit)
- Claiming Adoption Allowance (Class 1 credit)
- Claiming Child Benefit for a child under the age of 12 (Class 3 credit)
- Claiming Carer's Allowance (Class 1 credit)
- Claiming Employed Person's Allowance/Disabled worker (Class 1 credit)
- Claiming Employed Person's Allowance/Non-Disabled worker (Class 3 credit)
- On an approved training course (Class 1 credit)
- Required to attend jury service and did not have earnings at or exceeding the Lower Earnings Limit from employed earner's employment (Class 1 credit)
- Approved foster parents (Class 3 credit)
A person caring for a child under the age of 12 (but not receiving child benefit) who has a certain type of relationship to the child e.g. grandparent, from 6 April 2012 (Class 3 credit)
Most credits are awarded to you automatically if you need them however if you are not in receipt of Child Benefit because your earnings exceed the upper limit you will need to contact Social Security Division to make a claim for these credits. Details can be found on the Social Security Benefits page under National Insurance Credits.
