National Insurance contributions for Primary Carers - how to claim/transfer

tabath

Hi

Hope someone can help as I've been on the phone line for 51 mins to the NI people trying to get some help.

Basically after a messy unexpected divorce(she walks out after over 30 years giving no reason) I'm finally in a headspace 3 years later where I can cope with trying to get my pension finances sorted out. After thinking while we were together that we have a comfortable retirement it now turns out that things are going to be quite tight so I  am trying to maximise my State Pension.

After the birth of our second child I gave up full time employment as a teacher to become primary carer for our children. After looking at my NI contribs  for some of these years I did not work enough to get credit for some of those years. As the child benefit was in my ex-wife's name I also didn't get the NI credits given to carers. At the time my wife earned 50% more than I did which at the time of our divorce had risen to 3 times. Is there anyway I can get these credits as I was actually primary carer for our children? Upto what age ( of our children) can I claim for if so? How would I go about doing this.  This was a long time ago . The period 2000 onwards

My ex will not speak to me still ( most probably because I have discovered she was taking a lot of cash out of our bank accounts while putting everything she bought down to 95p chocolate bar on the credit cards) so is not going to be cooperative in this if I need her to sign anything.

NannaH

How old are you and how many years NI are you short of for full State pension?  

molerat

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-credits-for-parents-and-carers-cf411a

Pre 2010 it was up to age 16, post 2010 age 12.

NannaH

I doubt there is any way of retrospectively claiming CB credits as your Wife was the one receiving it,  she should have transferred it to you at the time you weren’t working.  

molerat

NannaH said:

I doubt there is any way of retrospectively claiming CB credits as your Wife was the one receiving it,  she should have transferred it to you at the time you weren’t working.  

It certainly is a viable option, that is what the form I linked to is for.

tabath

Thanks for the replies. I am 58 in november and need another 8 years to get 35 years in. At the time this was happening I had no idea the primary carer got NI credits so wouldn't have known I had to transfer them. My ex wifes employment record shows she worked full time during this period while I fitted my work part time around looking after our children

xylophone

What exactly does your state pension forecast say?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

tabath

molerat said:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-credits-for-parents-and-carers-cf411a

Pre 2010 it was up to age 16, post 2010 age 12.

So my son was born in 2001 apr, so I can claim upto 2013 apr for him? Or is it up to apr 2017 as he was born before 2010? Apparently for claims for years before 2010 its a different form - form CF411

tabath

xylophone said:

What exactly does your state pension forecast say?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

It says I've got 27 years full contributions , I'm nearly 58 .

squirrelpie

tabath said:

xylophone said:

What exactly does your state pension forecast say?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

It says I've got 27 years full contributions , I'm nearly 58 .

I think xylophone was asking for more than just the number of years. You mentioned 35 years, but that's completely irrelevant because you, like everybody else over their early twenties, are in a situation unique to you under the transition arrangements. So we need to know what it says about how much pension you  will be getting, all the figures it gives not just the headline number.

molerat

tabath said:

xylophone said:

What exactly does your state pension forecast say?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

It says I've got 27 years full contributions , I'm nearly 58 .

35years is of no real relevance to you. What £ value does it show you as currently having ?

You mention being a teacher so possibly in the TPS which is a contracted out scheme and sets some limitations on pre 2016 contributions but I assume you are currently employed and making contributions post 2016.  Your pension forecast should show a COPE amount via a click link in the "you were in a contracted out pension" section. How are your years split pre and post 2016 ?