If you’ve never worked, perhaps because of caring responsibilities or because your partner has supported you financially, you may be concerned about how this affects your entitlement to the State Pension.
After all, the State Pension often forms the cornerstone of people’s retirement planning, typically making up a large chunk of their income when they stop working.
You build up entitlement to the State Pension through paying National Insurance Contributions (NICs), but these aren’t solely based on your employment history. You may be entitled to a State pension by claiming NI credits, for example.
Here, we explain how you might still receive some State Pension even if you’ve never worked.
If you’re considering getting professional financial advice, Unbiased is offering Rest Less members a free pension review. It’s a chance to have a qualified independent financial advisor (IFA) take a look at your pension arrangements and give an unbiased assessment of your retirement savings.
The review is free and without obligation, but if the IFA feels you’d benefit from paid financial advice, they’ll go over how that works and the charges involved.
Contents
- Understanding State Pension eligibility
- Can I get any State Pension without National Insurance contributions?
- National Insurance credits
- How can I check my National Insurance record and see how many qualifying years I have?
- How can I pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to boost my State Pension?
- What benefits might I be able to claim if I’m not entitled to the State Pension?
- Where to go for pensions help
Understanding State Pension eligibility
You usually need to make 35 years’ worth of National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to get the full State Pension, which entitles you to £221.20 a week in the 2024/25 tax year.
However, it’s worth noting that having 35 qualifying years will only result in your receiving the full new State Pension if you have no National Insurance record prior to the 2016/17 tax year. Most people will have made, or been credited with, National Insurance contributions before 6 April 2016, in which case transitional arrangements apply, so as not to disadvantage those who reached pension age before the new State Pension was introduced. This means that it is relatively common for people with more than 35 qualifying years not to receive the full amount (as the changes only came into effect from 2016/17).
You’ll get so-called ‘qualifying years’ on your NI record for every year you’re in work, and earning above a minimum amount (£242 a week in the 2024/25 tax year), or if you’re paying voluntary contributions. Read more in our article How the State Pension works.
To be eligible for any State Pension you must have at least 10 years’ worth of NI contributions. You may be able to claim NI credits to build up some State Pension entitlement (see below), or if you’ve some gaps in your NI record you could pay voluntary contributions to fill these.
Can I get any State Pension without National Insurance contributions?
If you’ve never worked, then you wouldn’t have paid National Insurance through employment, but you might have received National Insurance credits if you’ve claimed child benefits, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or Carer’s Allowance.
If you claimed any of these benefits for at least 10 years then you should be eligible for the minimum State Pension. The exact amount you’re entitled to will be based on the number of years you have National Insurance credits for. As mentioned, though, if you have less than 10 years’ worth of NI credits or contributions, you won’t usually be eligible for any State Pension.
National Insurance credits
A year’s worth of NI credits amounts to a 35th of your full State Pension – £5.82 a week, £302 a year, or around £6,057 over 20 years in retirement. If you think you might be entitled to NI credits but you haven’t claimed these, you may be able to backdate claims for some NI credits (such as Specified Adult Childcare credits for caring for children) as far back as the 2011/12 tax year, as this is when the scheme was introduced.
You can claim NI credits in a wide variety of situations, and you can check your eligibility for credits here. If you’ve received certain benefits as mentioned above, though, you should have received these credits automatically. Here are some of the most common scenarios:
You’re a parent looking after children aged under 12. You should automatically receive National Insurance credits when you claim Child Benefit. You shouldn’t need to complete any forms, but if you’re missing credits from your record you can apply for these here.
You’re a grandparent helping to take care of children aged under 12. You’re also able to claim NI credits if you’re a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, cousin and parent who doesn’t live with the child (including partners of relatives). These credits are called Specified Adult Childcare Credits. Read more in our article Caring for grandchildren: how it can help you boost your State Pension.
You’re a carer for someone who is ill, disabled or elderly. You can usually claim NI credits if you’re providing care for at least 20 hours a week. This is called Carer’s Credit, which can safeguard your State Pension entitlement. Read our guide Carers: don’t miss out on benefits help.
You’re unable to work because of illness or disability. You should receive Class 1 NI credits automatically if you’re receiving one of the following benefits: Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance. If you’re not receiving these benefits, but meet certain criteria, you may still be able to claim NI credits, and you can check if you qualify at your local Jobcentre.
Other scenarios in which you may be able to claim NI credits include when you’re unemployed, you’re on or have been on Jury service, or you’re married or in a civil partnership to someone who works in the armed forces. You may also be able to claim credits if you’ve been on maternity or paternity leave.
Read our extensive guide When can I claim National Insurance credits? for more information.
Home Responsibilities Protection
National Insurance credits replaced Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) in 2010. You can get HRP for time you spent not working because you were looking after children or someone who was sick or disabled between April 1978 and 2010.
However, recent State Pension scandals have highlighted that some people have not had HRP added to their NI record. Women in their sixties and seventies are most likely to be affected.
Missing information about HRP on women’s records means that around 187,000 women could be owed a total of about £1bn. This amounts to an average of about £5,000 per person, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). However, around 44,000 of those eligible to receive money back have died, and it’ll be up to their families to reclaim any money owed. Read more in our article Mothers may be owed £1bn in latest State Pension scandal and how you can claim any State Pension that’s owed.
How can I check my National Insurance record and see how many qualifying years I have?
You can find out whether you might receive any State Pension by requesting a State Pension forecast. This shows how much you’re on track to get based on your current NI record. Bear in mind that the State Pension age is under review and is gradually being pushed back in line with rising life expectancy. At present, it’s set to increase to 67 by 2029 and again to 68 between 2037 and 2039. Read our guide How can I get a State Pension forecast?
If you find that you aren’t going to receive any State Pension, or the amount you were expecting, you need to check your NI record. This will show you any incomplete years in your record since 2006. If you have gaps, you might want to consider paying voluntary contributions to fill these in order to receive a higher State Pension.
How can I pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to boost my State Pension?
Voluntary NI contributions are intended to fill gaps in your NI record, not to create entirely new contributions where none existed before. They can help increase your State Pension amount if you have some qualifying years but not enough to reach the full amount, but they cannot bridge the gap entirely if you have no qualifying years at all.
If you have gaps in your NI record, you could pay voluntary contributions to fill in missing years. You should always check with the government’s Future Pension Centre that filling in gaps will boost your State Pension before handing over any money. Normally you can pay to fill in only the previous six years of your record, but until April 2025 you can fill in missing contributions for an additional ten years between 2006 and 2016. Read our guide Is it worth paying to top up your State Pension?
What benefits might I be able to claim if I’m not entitled to the State Pension?
You might be entitled to other benefits whether or not you qualify for the State Pension. For example, Pension Credit tops up your income to a certain level if you’re over State Pension age and have a low income. It can also help towards housing costs and council tax. Thousands of people who are eligible for Pension Credit fail to claim it – so make sure you don’t miss out. To find out more, read our article Pension Credit explained.
You may be entitled to disability benefits such as Attendance Allowance if you’re over State Pension age and need someone’s help to look after yourself properly. You can read more in our article What is the Attendance Allowance and who is eligible?
Other help towards the cost of living may include the Winter Fuel Payment, council tax discounts, and TV licence concessions, for example.
If you’re over 60, there are a range of concessions and discounts that are available to you. Some of these are accessible to everyone over 60, whilst others have additional eligibility requirements, such as receiving certain benefits or being on a low income. Find out more in our guide Over 60s benefits: Understanding your entitlement.
Where to go for pensions help
If you’re not sure whether you’re saving enough for retirement, or you want more help, you might want to speak to an independent financial advisor who can recommend the best course of action based on your personal circumstances.
If you’re considering getting professional financial advice, Unbiased is offering Rest Less members a free pension review. It’s a chance to have a qualified independent financial advisor (IFA) take a look at your pension arrangements and give an unbiased assessment of your retirement savings.
The review is free and without obligation, but if the IFA feels you’d benefit from paid financial advice, they’ll go over how that works and the charges involved.
Remember…
If you’re entitled to the State Pension, you don’t get your payments automatically – you have to actively claim it. You’ll usually be sent a letter a couple of months before you reach State Pension age which will tell you what to do. You can find out more about your State Pension, how it works and how to claim it from the Pension Service.
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