Looking after the grandchildren, NI

sevenhills

A pub conversation with a friend last night. He rang HMRC this week and they told him to put that he looked after grandchildren to make up the qualifying years of NI.

He has never been a carer for his grandchildren, he only sees them once or twice per month at the moment. He is 64 so almost at retirement age.

Will he qualify without any evidence of looking after his grandchildren, is it just a matter of his children signing the forms?

He has just bought his grandchild a larger Christmas present, in the hope that it will save him a few hundred pounds.

Dazed_and_C0nfused

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-credits-for-adults-who-care-for-a-child-under-12-fact-sheet/specified-adult-childcare-credits-fact-sheet

Not sure it's quite that simple

p00hsticks

As Dazed and Confused says, and the accompanying link explains, it's not that simple. Who actually IS looking after the grandchildren ? The credits are basically those linked to Child benefit - if the parent claiming the child benefit is also in employment and paying enough NI to get a full year that way as well, then the credit linked to the Child Benefit is available to be transferred to an other adult such as a grandparent who is providing the childcare necessary to enable the parent to work.

sevenhills

Dazed_and_C0nfused said:

Not sure it's quite that simple

His daughter will put him straight, he is not very good with Google.

FatherTireseus

I was intrigued at the suggestion an HMRC adviser would suggest, on the face of it, that someone is, ahem, economical with the truth to claim a benefit.

I tried looking at the online forms you have to fill in to apply.  You have to put in actual details to proceed so I haven’t done this, but there are headings for ‘periods of care’ and declarations by the grandparent and the parent which presumably confirm everything on the form is true.

So I would assume the grandfather would have to say exactly when he was looking after the children.  If he puts down something that wasn’t true I’d struggle to think this is anything but fraud.

Of course I doubt HMRC are going to be able to check that he did or didn’t have the kids after school on Thursday 15th two months ago or whenever but is he really prepared to lie?

And as others have said, the NI credit is linked to child benefit.  If whoever is getting child benefit for the grandchildren isn’t working then it would be taking away the NI credit from one person just to transfer to another.

I hope your friend didn’t buy a larger present on the assumption it would help demonstrate caring responsibilities as I don’t think it works like that.

sevenhills

FatherTireseus said:

Of course I doubt HMRC are going to be able to check that he did or didn’t have the kids after school on Thursday 15th two months ago or whenever but is he really prepared to lie?

I thought it would be a complex process, which is why I was surprised when he said it. He may be prepared to lie, but it would need the cooperation of both parents, so it may not happen.

molerat

sevenhills said:

FatherTireseus said:

Of course I doubt HMRC are going to be able to check that he did or didn’t have the kids after school on Thursday 15th two months ago or whenever but is he really prepared to lie?

I thought it would be a complex process, which is why I was surprised when he said it. He may be prepared to lie, but it would need the cooperation of both parents, so it may not happen.

It would only need the cooperation of the parent who is receiving the child benefit and is also working.

NannaH

I’ve claimed for the first time this year,  you have to download and print the form,  claimant and parent both sign, it’s straightforward.
You have to claim in the November for the previous tax year,  so I claimed for April 20-21.  It goes up until the child is 12, I have eight years to catch up to full SP so I’m glad I found out about it,  most people have no idea. 

You don’t have to specify dates, other than the claim period.  

molerat

I wonder how many people who do have an actual claim fraudulently claim the whole 52 weeks !

relishy57

I’ve just claimed 2 years and will claim another 2 hopefully before state pension age kicks in. Both claimant and parent have to sign the completed forms so it is a declaration that this occurred as stated. Like all things it depends on how strongly your conscience works but they do check details mainly to check that the parent of the child will not be adversely affected. I am so pleased to have learnt of this credit mainly due to Molerat posting about it so would not claim for any years not due to me. 

3card

I looked into this last year and my wife falls into this 'benefit' 
My wife is about 5 years off her full state pension but she does actually look after our grand daughter (aged 4) at least 4 days a week and the guy at the NI/HMRC helpline told me when i enquired that even if my wife looks after her for a couple of days she will get the full 'benefit' 
Up until I looked into it i was looking at paying for her missing years

Saying that i dont agree with people abusing this scheme

Does anyone know if this can be backdated? I'm sure i did ask this but i cant remember the answer