Carer ’ s Credit is a way of protecting state pension rights for people who are caring for someone but are not in paid work ( or not earning enough to pay National Insurance Contributions ) and are unable to claim carers ’ allowance .

If you already get Carer ’ s Allowance , or the underlying entitlement , you usually get National Insurance credits and contributions to your Additional State Pension so you don ’ t need to apply for Carer ’ s Credit .

Carer ’ s Credit isn ’ t a physical payment to you , it ’ s a National Insurance credit which helps build up your entitlement to the State Pension and makes sure there are no gaps in your National Insurance record .

Eligibility To get Carer ’ s Credit you must be :

»» aged 16 or over

»» under State Pension age

»» looking after one or more people for at least 20 hours a week

The person you support must get one of the following :

»»

Disability Living Allowance , the middle or higher care rate

If the person you ’ re caring for doesn ’ t get one of these benefits , you may still be able to get Carer ’ s Credit . You will need to provide a ‘ Care Certificate ’ signed by a health or social care professional to confirm that you are providing appropriate care for them .

How to claim To claim Carer ’ s Credit you need to apply to the Carer ’ s Allowance Unit of the Department for Work and Pensions . Visit www . gov . uk or call the Carer ’ s Allowance Unit on 0845 6084321 .

For more information about carers ’ benefits visit www . gov . uk / browse / benefits alternatively you could contact your local council ’ s benefits team .

Eastbourne Borough Council Online www . eastbourne . gov . uk Email housingbenefits @ eastbourne . gov . uk Call 0845 300 6715 Write to Housing Benefits Team Eastbourne Borough Council 1 Grove Road Eastbourne , BN21 4TW

Hastings Borough Council Online www . hastings . gov . uk Email benefits @ hastings . gov . uk Call 01424 451066 Write to Hastings Borough Council Hastings Town Hall Queens Road Hastings , TN34 1QR

Lewes District Council Online www . lewes . gov . uk Email benefit @ lewes . gov . uk Call 01273 471600 Write to Lewes District Council 4 Fisher Street Lewes BN7 2DQ

4 Care for the Carers