The full picture
Carer's Credit is a free National Insurance credit awarded to people who care for someone for at least 20 hours a week. It doesn't pay any cash — it fills gaps in your NI record so your future State Pension and other contributory benefits aren't reduced.
Who needs it most: - Carers earning over the £196/week Carer's Allowance threshold (so you can't claim CA) - Carers under State Pension age who already work full-time - Carers who take time out of work but still care for fewer than 35 hours/week (so don't qualify for CA) - Carers caring for someone whose CA-qualifying benefit ends temporarily (e.g. AA paused during a hospital stay)
Eligibility: - You're aged 16 to State Pension age - You care for one or more people for at least 20 hours a week - The person you care for receives a qualifying disability benefit (AA, PIP daily living, DLA middle/highest care, ADP daily living, AFIP, Constant Attendance Allowance) - OR a Care Certificate signed by a healthcare professional confirms care need
If you're already receiving Carer's Allowance you don't need to apply — Carer's Credit is added automatically. The same applies to Income Support paid as a carer.
Applications can be backdated to the previous tax year, so it's worth applying even if you only realised partway through the year.