Carer’s Credit

If you are caring for a disabled child or adult and are not entitled to Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment and/or the carer element of Universal Credit you may be eligible for Carer’s Credit instead.

Carer’s Credit is not a benefit payment. It is a National Insurance credit that can help prevent gaps in your National Insurance record if you are not working due to caring for a disabled person and are not receiving National Insurance credits from another benefit such as Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment, Universal Credit or Child Benefit.

If you are entitled to Carer’s Credit you will get Class 3 credits which can help protect your future entitlement to State Pension.

If you are claiming Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment or Universal Credit you do not need to apply for Carer’s Credit as you will already be getting National Insurance credits. If you are claiming Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment you get Class 1 National Insurance credits automatically. If you are claiming Universal Credit, either with or without a carer element, you get Class 3 National Insurance credits automatically.

If you are claiming Child Benefit for a child under 12, even if you are not receiving Child Benefit payments due to the high income Child Benefit charge, you get automatic Class 3 National Insurance credits so do not need to apply for Carer’s Credit.

You can check your National Insurance record online for gaps to see if you need to claim Carer’s Credit.

To qualify for Carer’s Credit you must be:

• aged 16 or over
• under State Pension age
• spend at least 20 hours a week caring for one or more person (you do not have to live with the person you are caring for)

The person you are caring for must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:

• Attendance Allowance (or Pension Age Disability Payment in Scotland)
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance (the middle or highest rate of the care component)
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (the middle or highest rate of the care component)
• Personal Independence Payment (the daily living component)
• Child Disability Payment (the middle or highest rate of the care component)
• Adult Disability Payment (the daily living component)
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

You may still be able to apply for Carer’s Credit if the person you care for does not get one of the above benefits depending on the level of care you are providing. You should fill in the ‘Care Certificate’ part of the application form and get it signed by a health or social work professional.

You can still get Carer’s Credit for up to 12 weeks after you stop caring or during breaks in caring of up to 12 weeks. So, if the person you’re caring for goes into hospital, or if you go into hospital or take a short holiday, you’ll still get Carer’s Credit for 12 weeks.

You must inform the Carer’s Allowance Unit if you have a break in caring of more than 12 weeks in a row.

To claim Carer’s Credit you can download the application form online.

Alternatively, you can call the Carer’s Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297 and ask for an application form to be posted to you.

You will need to post your completed form to:

Freepost DWP Carer’s Allowance Unit

You do not need a stamp and should not write anything else on the envelope.

You can ask for your Carer’s Credit claim to be backdated to the start of the last complete tax year. For example, if you apply in March 2026, the earliest your claim can be backdated to is April 2024.

This advice applies in England, Wales and Scotland. If you live in another part of the UK, the law may differ. Please call our helpline for more details. If you are in Northern Ireland you can visit the Labour Relations Agency or call their helpline Workplace Information Service on 03300 555 300.

If you have further questions and would like to contact our advice team please use our advice contact form below or call us

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