Home Responsibilities Protection

You may be regularly caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability for at least 35 hours a week, but not qualify for Carer’s Allowance (or have an underlying entitlement to it) or Income Support as a carer, or be getting National Insurance credits. However, you may still be able to protect your basic State Pension and build up additional State Pension through the State Second Pension by claiming Home Responsibilities Protection.

You can claim Home Responsibilities Protection if the person you are caring for gets Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance or the highest-rate or middle-rate care component of Disability Living Allowance for at least 48 weeks in the tax year and you:

• are not in paid work, or do not earn enough in a tax year for it to count towards basic State Pension (below £4,108 in 2004/05); and
• are not receiving Carer’s Allowance, Income Support as a carer or National Insurance credits. You would normally claim Carer’s Allowance in these circumstances, but you will not get this if another carer is already getting Carer’s Allowance for looking after the same person.

• If you are not getting Carer’s Allowance (or have an underlying entitlement to it) or Income Support as a carer, we will not have any records showing that you are a carer. This means we will not be able to award you Home Responsibilities Protection unless you make a claim – you will not get it automatically. See Home Responsibilities Protection for more details about Home Responsibilities Protection, how to claim and the time limits that apply.