CB NI Credit Qualifying Criteria?

newbietoon · 17 June 2019 at 4:08PM

Hi all, first time posting on here after many years of lurking and harvesting info! Also as relates to ensuring enough credits for state pension figured this was the best place to post.

I recently discovered that as I am the recipient of CB for our children my wife is missing out on NI contribution credits. She has taken a career break and I am working, so need to get that changed and hopefully backdated asap so she doesn’t miss out.

I am aware I need to change her to the CB recipient and start an application to transfer the NI credits I didn’t require whilst working, for previous years.

For this year I would like to know how many months you need to be claiming child benefit to qualify for the NI credit, imagine this process will probably take a little while and we are already over two months into the tax year. Basically want to avoid my wife missing out on another year once the recipient is changed should there be such a criteria, as she hasn't been working for any months prior to the eventual change.

I hope they wouldn’t penalise you and would take into account the transfer but want to be sure before I start the process and not clear online. CB office took two weeks to reply to me and didn’t bother answering my main question about qualifying criteria whilst not working, other than saying yes you can change the CB recipient!

Hope the above makes sense :)

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

molerat · 17 June 2019 at 4:31PM

You need 52 weeks CB for a full year, it is as simple as that. You just need to fill in the transfer of credits paperwork for as far back as is necessary, it again is done in weeks.