1<\/p>\n Thousands of grandparents are missing out on a way to boost their state pensionCredit: Getty<\/p>\n But these grandparents may not realise that they might be able to boost their State Pension<\/a> as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n Specified Adult Childcare credits are a type of National Insurance credit that can help you qualify for the full state pension.<\/p>\n You need 35 years of National Insurance<\/a> contributions to get the full new state pension, which is worth \u00a3230.25 a week.<\/p>\n To claim these “grandparent credits”, a parent who receives child benefit<\/a> must also be paying National Insurance.<\/p>\n Read more on the state pension<\/p>\n This could be because they have gone back to work.<\/p>\n They must be able to work because another family member is looking after their child, who is aged under 12.<\/p>\n In this case, they can transfer the National Insurance credits to the family member who helps with childcare and has gaps in their record.<\/p>\n Every year of credits is worth one year of National Insurance contributions – or one 35th of the full state pension.<\/p>\n At current rates, this works out at \u00a3342 a year, or \u00a36,840 over a typical 20-year retirement.<\/p>\n If you claim for multiple years the payout could be even higher.<\/p>\n How to track down lost pensions worth \u00a31,000s<\/p>\n For example, if you backdate your claim for three years then your state pension payments would be boosted by \u00a31,026 annually.<\/p>\n This would add up to \u00a320,520 over a 20-year retirement.<\/p>\n There is no minimum number of hours you need to be looking after a child to qualify.<\/p>\n Jon Greer, head of retirement policy at Quilter, said: “These credits are a lifeline for those who step in to provide invaluable childcare support, ensuring they don’t miss out on their State Pension entitlements.<\/p>\n What are the different types of pensions?<\/p>\n WE round-up the main types of pension and how they differ:<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it’s just one day a week, eligible grandparents should be able to claim.\u201d<\/p>\n Only around 17,000 people successfully applied for the credits between October 2023 and April 2024, which means thousands of people could be missing out, according to Quilter.<\/p>\n To apply you must be under the state pension age, which is currently 66 years old.<\/p>\n It is not just grandparents who can claim the credits.<\/p>\n Eligible family members can also include a parent who does not live with the child, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, great-grandparent or great-great-grandparent.<\/p>\n You can backdate your claim to 2011, when the credits were introduced.<\/p>\n Plus, if you provided care during the pandemic<\/a> then you can apply for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 tax years.<\/p>\n This includes if you provided care in a different way, for example by telephone or FaceTime.<\/p>\n Jackie Spencer, head of money<\/a> and pensions<\/a> policy at the Money and Pensions Service, said: \u201cIf you\u2019re a grandparent or another relative looking after children while their parents are at work, it\u2019s worth checking the UK government website \u2013 gov.uk \u2013 to see if your family is eligible.\u201d<\/p>\n How do I claim?<\/strong><\/p>\n You need to wait until October 31 to apply for the current tax year.<\/p>\n This is because HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) needs to check that the parent or main carer already has a qualifying year of National Insurance.<\/p>\n The child\u2019s parent or main carer should first check their National Insurance record to make sure they have credits they can transfer.<\/p>\n They can check their National Insurance record on the gov.uk website.<\/p>\n Before you apply you will need your contact details.<\/p>\n You will need the child\u2019s details and a record of the periods you provided care for them.<\/p>\n You will also need the personal details of the child\u2019s parent or main carer who receives the child benefit.<\/p>\n Both you and the person who receives the child benefit need to sign a declaration on the application form.<\/p>\n You will then need to complete the form CA9176 online.<\/p>\n You cannot save your progress, so make sure you have all the information to hand before you start.<\/p>\n Next you will need to print and post the form to HMRC<\/a> using the postal address shown on the form.<\/p>\n Once you have submitted your form you can check when you should expect to receive a reply online.<\/p>\n Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n![\"Grandfather](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/a6e95e5a-8223-4b38-aeca-7d7922c352e2_0cbeb1.jpg\")
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These so-called defined contribution (DC) pensions are usually chosen by your employer and you won’t be able to change it. Minimum contributions are 8%, with employees paying 5% (1% in tax relief) and employers contributing 3%. <\/li>\n