On ESA and PIP. National insurance credits haven't been paid for a long time.

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hello I have just checked my file on the gov.uk website regarding national insurance credits and it says for people on ESA they should be added automatically.

They haven't since I changed from contribution based ESA to income related ESA.

Has anyone an idea aof how to claim these credits back in or done this themselves.

If they are supposed to be added automatically then they haven't done.

I am now on PIP too since this year but I'm missing quite a few years.

I'm not sure if I need proof in the tax year or something and don't know if I have each year going back. Is th is how to claim them back and post it off? 

I know I changed banks too and can't find the statements I asked for after closing the account. I'm going to look more but unsure if this is correct and i should have got automitic credits or not?

Will PIP entitle me to NIC too?

Thanks in advance

whizzywoo

PIP doesn't entitle you to NI credits but both Contributions and Income related ESA do.

However I have seen from other posts on here and elsewhere that there has been a problem with this for a few years now.  Lots of people have not received the NI credits they should have.  The DWP are supposed to be working on a fix for it.

I'm not sure what the solution is but someone will come along with more knowledge about it to advise you. 

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hello thank you for replying to me and letting me know. 

I appreciate the message. As always with so called automatic credits and HMRC there are hoops to jump through. 

I know it says write to them but with what evidence? Will they not have the evidence I received ESA during the relevant years? 

Those questions are half rhetorical but that's what I'm thinking and I've never given NI credits much thought before now maybe to my own detriment.

Thank you 

poppy12345

whizzywoo said:

However I have seen from other posts on here and elsewhere that there has been a problem with this for a few years now.

The issue has been more with UC and NI credits than any other benefit. I've just checked mine from ESA and all mine are full apart from 2022/23, which i expected.

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hello Poppy12345 what do I do about it then?

Do i need to write to them and if so what do I need? As there are a number of years since I changed from IB/ cont based ESA (one of the 2) I haven't received any credits since then.

I am on income related ESA and was during the years the NIC's were not added.

Regards

sammyjammy

I think your first step is to contact DWP, it maybe there as in issue like there is with UC and they can put your mind at rest that its being dealt with.  You probably won't get much luck by ringing so if I were you I would write, setting out the relevant tax year that are missing and ask what is happening about it.  Maybe mark it formal complaint.  If you get no luck this way try your MP.  I think HMRC will just refer you back to DWP.

KxMx

I had a letter from HMRC several years ago now, about missing NI credits for one year. 

What I did is send a letter to the address on my DWP letters, and marked the envelope NI credits

My letter stated I'd heard from HMRC about missing credits for X year, that I'd checked my paperwork and I was on X benefit and so entitled to full credit that particular year, and requested that they sort it out. 

Many weeks later I heard again from HMRC that the missing credits had been paid. 

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hello thanks Sammy Jammy and KxMx. 

I think I may have to phone the DWP up and inform them but I also don't want to trigger an assessment as I haven't had one for a while but got PIP awarded in the meantime

I will probably have to write to them as well. 

No time like the present. It does say write to the address listed on gov.uk so I think they may refer me back to that address.

It says to send a cover letter and evidence anyway but I Woukd assume they should have the evidence from those years. 

It will likely be a while on the phone if I do ring them. I really don't like ringing them unless absolutely necessary tbh just in case.

Anyway thanks for your answers I am going to think whether to do one or both. 

Regards

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

KxMx I'm glad to know it was sorted out for you by doing the above. I may wrote to that department as well. 

Thank you

Ihatethinkingofusernames11

Hello just an update for anybody who stumbles on to this thread. I have phoned and they confirmed the credits should be going on but have not and they will be phoning me back within 3 days (supposedly). 

I don't really know that much about national insurance credits. Is it literally just contributing to a pension and the more the better? 

whizzywoo

poppy12345 said:

whizzywoo said:

However I have seen from other posts on here and elsewhere that there has been a problem with this for a few years now.

The issue has been more with UC and NI credits than any other benefit. I've just checked mine from ESA and all mine are full apart from 2022/23, which i expected.

Ahh ok Poppy thank you.   I hadn't made the distinction between ESA and UC in my head, just knew there was a problem with NI credits for some people.