Posted by Stephen Sowden on 26th January 2017
Last updated 17th August 2022

The BBC reported recently in this article that tens and thousands of grandparents are missing out on National Insurance credits which could be worth more than £230 a year when they retire. This has been reported by Sir Steve Webb, former Pensions Minister.

Mother’s who give up work are given National Insurance credits while their children are until 12 to help them get a state pension. However if they return to work relatives can claim the credits instead. For the grandparents to be able to claim this credit, the grandparents needs to be of working age while caring for the child in question.

The important factor is, the grandparent must be under pension age. So if you’re caring for a child under 12 you could qualify for an extra £230 of annual pension. It could be possible to back claim until 2011. The application form can be found on the governments website but it appears the specified adult childcare credits is still an unknown benefit to many people.

For further information look at the government website and also the grandparentsplus.org.uk website or call 0300 123 7315.

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Stephen Sowden is a Solicitor at The Family Law Company. Although Stephen has experience in all areas of family law, he now leads our Care team with his specialism in all matters relating to children law, the rights of the child and the best interests of the child.

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