Grandparent Childcare NI Credits — Protect Your State Pension While Caring for Grandchildren

If you regularly look after a grandchild while their parent works, you could be building up your State Pension — even if you’re not working yourself. Many grandparents miss out on this benefit because they don’t know it exists.

This guide explains how Specified Adult Childcare Credits work and how to claim them.

Read more: See our State Pension guide for a complete overview of this topic.

What Are Grandparent Childcare Credits?

When a parent claims Child Benefit, they automatically receive a National Insurance credit for each week the child is under 12. This credit counts towards their State Pension.

But here’s the thing: working parents often don’t need this credit because they’re already building NI through their job. If they earn above the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,708/year in 2026/27) — the point at which a tax year starts counting as a qualifying year — they’re already getting NI credit from employment, whether or not they actually pay any NI in cash (earnings between the Lower Earnings Limit and the higher Primary Threshold of £12,570 still count as a qualifying year, just without any NI actually being deducted).

The government allows parents to transfer their unused NI credit to someone else who looks after the child — typically a grandparent.

How Much Is It Worth?

Each year of NI credits counts towards your State Pension. Here’s the maths:

If you’re under State Pension age and have gaps in your NI record, these free credits could be worth thousands of pounds over your retirement.

Who Can Claim?

The Carer (Grandparent) Must:

✅ Be aged 16 or over and under State Pension age ✅ Not already be getting NI credits another way (e.g., Carer’s Allowance gives credits automatically) ✅ Have cared for a child under 12 ✅ Be a family member of the child

Family members include: grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, and partners of any of these. There’s no minimum number of hours of care specified in HMRC’s eligibility rules for this credit — that “20 hours a week” test applies to the separate Carer’s Credit scheme (for people caring for someone on certain disability benefits), not to Specified Adult Childcare Credits.

The Parent Must:

✅ Be receiving Child Benefit for the child ✅ Not need their NI credit for that tax year (usually because they’re working and paying NI, or receiving other credits) ✅ Agree to transfer the credit to you

Important: The parent cannot transfer the credit if doing so would leave them without a qualifying year for their own State Pension record for that tax year. They should check their forecast first.

Do You Already Have Enough NI Years?

Before applying, check your State Pension forecast:

1. Go to gov.uk/check-state-pension
2. Sign in with Government Gateway
3. Look at your “qualifying years” and forecast amount

If you already have 35+ qualifying years, you don’t need more credits — your State Pension is already at the maximum.

If you have gaps, these credits can fill them.

How to Claim

Step 1: Parent Checks Their NI Record

The parent should check whether they need the NI credit themselves. If they’re working and earning above the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,708/year in 2026/27), they’re likely building qualifying years anyway.

Check at gov.uk/check-state-pension.

Step 2: Download Form CA9176

Get the form from GOV.UK.

You need one form for each tax year you’re claiming (e.g., one for 2024/25, another for 2023/24). Note that HMRC cannot process a claim for a given tax year until the following October at the earliest, because it needs to confirm the parent’s own NI position first.

Step 3: Fill in the Form

The form asks for:

• The grandparent’s details (National Insurance number, date of birth)
• The parent’s details (must be the person claiming Child Benefit)
• The child’s details
• Which tax year you’re claiming for
• The periods the grandparent provided care

Step 4: Both Sign the Form

The parent and the grandparent must both sign. This confirms:

• The parent agrees to transfer the credit
• The grandparent confirms they provided the care

Step 5: Send to HMRC

Post the completed form to the address on the form. There’s no online application currently.

Processing time: Allow 6-8 weeks once HMRC is able to accept the claim. The credit will appear on the grandparent’s NI record.

Backdating Claims

You can backdate claims all the way to 6 April 2011. This is potentially 15 years of credits you might be able to claim.

Each tax year needs a separate form CA9176.

Example: If you’ve been looking after a grandchild every Wednesday since they were born in 2015, you could claim for:

• 2015/16 (from birth)
• 2016/17
• 2017/18
• 2018/19
• 2019/20
• 2020/21
• 2021/22
• 2022/23
• 2023/24
• 2024/25
• 2025/26

That’s 10+ years of credits — potentially worth £3,585+ in extra State Pension over a 20-year retirement.

Common Questions

Can I claim if I’m already receiving Carer’s Allowance?

If you get Carer’s Allowance, you already receive NI credits automatically — you don’t need these childcare credits.

However, if you care for BOTH the person you claim Carer’s Allowance for AND a grandchild, you can’t get double credits. The Carer’s Allowance credits already cover you.

What if the parent works part-time?

Part-time workers may still need their NI credits if their earnings are below the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,708/year in 2026/27). Check their NI record before transferring.

Can both grandparents claim?

No — only one person can receive the credit for each child for each tax year. If two grandparents share the care equally, decide who benefits most (usually whoever has more NI gaps).

What counts as “caring”?

Any time spent looking after the child while the parent works — collecting from school, daytime care, babysitting while they do shifts. HMRC’s eligibility rules for Specified Adult Childcare Credits don’t set a minimum number of hours; you simply need to have provided care and have the parent countersign confirming the periods involved.

What if we’re not related?

Specified Adult Childcare Credits are for family members only. Friends and neighbours who provide childcare cannot claim (though they may be able to claim Class 3 voluntary contributions if they want to protect their pension).

Step-by-Step Checklist

Why This Benefit Is So Under-Claimed

HMRC estimates only a fraction of eligible grandparents claim Specified Adult Childcare Credits. Reasons include:

• Most people don’t know it exists
• It requires paperwork (form CA9176)
• It needs the parent’s cooperation
• The benefit is only seen decades later at retirement

But the effort is minimal, and the lifetime benefit can be substantial.

Related Guides

• State Pension NI Gaps — Should You Fill Them?
• National Insurance Credits Guide
• State Pension Forecast — How to Check Yours
• State Pension Amount 2026

Summary

If you’re a grandparent providing regular childcare while your son or daughter works, this could protect your State Pension — and it costs nothing to apply.