Does caring for parents aged in their 90s qualify me for extra state pension top-ups? Steve Webb replies

By STEVE WEBB, PENSIONS EXPERT AND COLUMNIST, THIS IS MONEY

Updated:

I have been on the Government's state pension site and found I have 33 years of National Insurance contributions, so will not receive the full £164 a week pension but instead am forecast to receive £154.

Is the only way to get a full pension to buy two years of contributions which is £689 for each year? Is there no other way?

I do not work and haven't for five years. I care for my parents who are in their 90s but voluntarily, not paid. Can you advise me please?

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK YOUR PENSION QUESTION      

State pension: Is the only way to get the full payout to buy two years of top-ups, or does caring for elderly parents make a difference to my record? (Stock image)

State pension: Is the only way to get the full payout to buy two years of top-ups, or does caring for elderly parents make a difference to my record? (Stock image)

Steve Webb replies: The good news is that people who are not in paid work because they are caring for someone may be able to get 'credits' towards their National Insurance record which will help them to get a full pension.

There are two ways in which this can be done.

The simplest way is to claim a social security benefit called Carer's Allowance. This is currently paid at a rate of £64.60 per week.

The main rules are that you have to be caring for someone for 35 hours per week or more, and that the person you are caring for is on a qualifying disability benefit such as Attendance Allowance.

If your parents are disabled and not getting Attendance Allowance it might be worth helping them to make a claim as they would also get extra income and that would help you to claim a Carer's Allowance.

Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below

Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below

To claim Carer's Allowance you have to be earning less than £120 per week, which would not be an issue for you as you are not in paid work.

The good news if you claim Carer's Allowance is that you automatically qualify for National Insurance credits towards your state pension – you don't even have to make a separate claim.

It doesn't sound from your question like you are currently claiming this, but if you are then you should check with the Future Pension Centre that any credits you are due already or will earn in future are included in your state pension forecast. 

If you haven't already claimed, you can get three months' worth of backdated allowance and credits. 

For those who are caring for a good chunk of the week – 20 hours or more – but not enough to reach the 35 hour rule for Carer's Allowance, it is still possible to claim for National Insurance credits.

As with Carer's Allowance, the person you are caring for has to be on a qualifying disability benefit, and you have to be under pension age yourself.

The claim form for carer's credits has to be counter-signed by a medical professional such as a doctor or a nurse who will confirm your caring role. It can be downloaded here. 

Although you don't get a weekly cash benefit, you do get National Insurance credits which will help to protect your state pension.

If you haven't already claimed, you can backdate the carer's credit to the start of the last full tax year. 

The organisation Carers UK offers a lot of information and support for carers such as yourself.

Their website is well worth reading, and includes a page on Carer's Allowance which you can find here. 

ASK STEVE WEBB A PENSION QUESTION 

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's Agony Uncle.

He is ready to answer your questions, whether you are still saving, in the process of stopping work, or juggling your finances in retirement.

Since leaving the Department of Work and Pensions after the May 2015 election, Steve has joined pension firm Royal London as director of policy.

If you would like to ask Steve a question about pensions, please email him at pensionquestions@thisismoney.co.uk.

Steve will do his best to reply to your message in a forthcoming column, but he won't be able to answer everyone or correspond privately with readers. Nothing in his replies constitutes regulated financial advice. Published questions are sometimes edited for brevity or other reasons.

Please include a daytime contact number with your message - this will be kept confidential and not used for marketing purposes.

If Steve is unable to answer your question, you can also contact The Pensions Advisory Service, a Government-backed organisation which gives free help to the public. TPAS can be found here and its number is 0800 011 3797.

Steve receives many questions about state pension forecasts and COPE – the Contracted Out Pension Equivalent. If you are writing to Steve on this topic, he responds to a typical reader question here. It includes links to Steve's several earlier columns about state pension forecasts and contracting out, which might be helpful. 

If you have a question about state pension top-ups, Steve has written a guide which you can find here. 

Most watched Money videos