Do I need to claim Home Responsibilities Protection?

You need to claim Home Responsibilities Protection if you fall into one of the following groups:

• You are looking after someone with a long-term illness or disability regularly for at least 35 hours a week. They get 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 – but you do not get Carer’s Allowance (or have an underlying entitlement to it) or Income Support as a carer.
• You have been getting Income Support and did not have to look for work because you were looking after someone with a long-term illness or disability, but you did not get Income Support throughout the full tax year, and Home Responsibilities Protection has not been awarded automatically. If you are not sure whether Home Responsibilities Protection has been noted on your National Insurance account, you can check with the Inland Revenue. See Directory - Home Responsibilities Protection for details of how to contact them.
• You are looking after a child who is over six years old who has a long-term illness or disability. If you are the person who has claimed and been awarded Child Benefit, you will get Home Responsibilities Protection to protect your basic State Pension until your youngest child is 16. However, to build up State Second Pension while caring for a child aged six or over, we need to know about your extra caring responsibilities, and you will have to fill in a special section of the Home Responsibilities Protection claim form. To qualify for Home Responsibilities Protection and from 6 April 2002 build up State Second Pension, you must get the highest-rate or middle-rate care component of Disability Living Allowance for the child.
• You are a registered foster carer throughout a full tax year and do not get Child Benefit for any children under 16.

You do not need to claim Home Responsibilities Protection if you fall into any of the following groups:

• You are the person who is receiving Child Benefit for a child under 16 and you are not looking after a child who is aged six years or older and has a long-term illness or disability. You will automatically get Home Responsibilities Protection to protect your basic State Pension and build up State Second Pension for the years when you are caring for a child under six.
• You are looking after someone with a long-term illness or disability and you get Carer’s Allowance (or you have an underlying entitlement to this). You do not need Home Responsibilities Protection as you will get National Insurance credits each week to protect your basic State Pension. Since 6 April 2002 you may build up a year’s worth of State Second Pension for every full tax year you get this benefit.
• You are getting National Insurance credits. If you get Jobseeker’s Allowance or you are unemployed and signing on as available for work, your basic State Pension is protected by credits. These do not count towards State Second Pension. If you get Incapacity Benefit or incapacity credits throughout a tax year, your basic State Pension will be protected automatically and since 6 April 2002 you will also build up State Second Pension.