Answers · UK 2025/26

Can grandparents get National Insurance credits for childcare?

Yes -- grandparents and other family members who look after a child under 12 while the parent works can claim Specified Adult Childcare Credits, which transfer the parent's Class 3 National Insurance credit (received alongside Child Benefit) to the family member providing care. This can help fill gaps in the grandparent's National Insurance record and protect their State Pension entitlement, even though no money changes hands.

Last updated: 2 July 2026Last reviewed: 2 July 2026How we verify

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Specified Adult Childcare Credits are a often-overlooked way for working-age grandparents (or other family members) to build up National Insurance credits towards their State Pension, simply by providing regular childcare. **How it works** When a parent claims Child Benefit for a child under 12, they automatically receive a Class 3 National Insurance credit for each week they are not otherwise earning enough to pay National Insurance themselves (this protects the parent's own State Pension record while they are out of paid work or on low earnings). If the parent is already working and paying National Insurance through their job, they don't need this credit for themselves -- Specified Adult Childcare Credits let them transfer that otherwise-unused credit to a family member, such as a grandparent, who is providing at least some regular childcare for the child instead. **Who can receive the credit** Eligible family members include grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and some others with parental responsibility connections, provided they are under State Pension age (since the credit only helps build up entitlement, it isn't useful once you've already reached State Pension age) and are not already receiving qualifying National Insurance credits or paying sufficient National Insurance themselves through work. **How much care is needed** There is no strict minimum number of hours specified in the rules -- the family member just needs to have provided some regular care for the child during the period being claimed, and both the parent (who is giving up the credit) and the family member (who is receiving it) must sign the application confirming this arrangement. **How to claim** The claim is made using form CA9176, available from HMRC, and can be backdated, though there are time limits -- currently claims can generally be made from the tax year following the one in which the childcare was provided, and backdating is possible for several years, though it is best not to leave it too long given evidence and administrative time limits. **Value of the credit** Each qualifying year of National Insurance credit is worth roughly 1/35th of the full new State Pension, so a grandparent who is short of qualifying years could add meaningful annual pension income for the cost of simply completing a form, since the credit is free and does not require any National Insurance contribution to be paid. **Practical tip** Check your own State Pension forecast first via the gov.uk 'Check your State Pension forecast' service to see if you have gaps in your National Insurance record before claiming, since if you already have 35 qualifying years you may not need the extra credit.