National Insurance Credits

6 mins

Our experts at DSR Tax Refunds know how hard it is to find good, quality information about HMRC’s National Insurance rules and regulations that is easy to understand, and that’s why we have created these handy guides to tell you everything you need to know. Our aim is to make life easier for our clients and that is why we want to share our expertise with you. You can also call our friendly team on 0330 122 9972 – we’re the tax experts you can trust.

What are National Insurance Credits?

If you don’t pay enough National Insurance, you might be eligible to claim National Insurance credits so that you don’t have any gaps in your National Insurance record. Gaps in your National Insurance record can affect your eligibility for certain benefits, including your State Pension, so it is really important to protect your National Insurance record if possible. Under certain circumstances, for example if you are unable to work due to illness or unemployment, you might be able to claim National Insurance credits to fill in any gaps in your record.

If you are eligible for National Insurance credits, you will either be awarded them automatically or you will have to apply to HMRC for them. There are two types of National Insurance credits, which are:

You can check whether you have been awarded any credits by checking your National Insurance record. It’s a good idea to check this record occasionally from time to time to make sure that all is correct and as expected – if you discover any errors, make sure you contact the National Insurance helpline to get them corrected (telephone: 0330 200 3500/ textphone: 0300 200 3519).

Are you eligible for these credits?

Whether you are eligible to claim National Insurance credits all depends on your personal situation. The eligibility criteria are as follows:

If you are a parent or a foster carer, your situation changes after 6th April 2010.

When can’t you get National Insurance Credits?

You won’t usually get National Insurance credits if you are self-employed and need to pay Class 2 National Insurance.

If you are a married woman and you pay a reduced rate of National Insurance, you won’t usually be eligible to claim National Insurance credits. There are a few exceptions to this, for example if you are a widow or you get Child Benefit for a child under 12, but opting into the reduced rate of National Insurance (as you were allowed to do as a married woman until April 1977) means that you aren’t entitled to the full range of benefits based on National Insurance contributions.

How can DSR Tax Refunds help?

We know that working out whether you can claim National Insurance credits can be a complicated affair, even with our helpful guide to tell you everything you might need to know. It’s all very well reading about it and knowing what HMRC’s stand on it is – but how do you apply that to your own circumstances? It can seem like an absolute minefield but help is always available and you don’t need to battle through this alone. Our team of experts at DSR Tax Refunds are always on hand to help our clients and our excellent standing with HMRC means that we can make sure you don’t fall foul of their regulations, while claiming your maximum tax relief. We can even take care of all that paperwork and deal with HMRC on your behalf too. Call our friendly team on 0330 122 9972 – we’re the tax experts you can trust.

This page was last updated on 25/10/2018.

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