Will my daughter qualify for a state pension?
One of our experts answers a reader's question.
1st July 2020 15:10
Q
“My daughter, who is 46, has hardly worked owing to illness and mental health problems. She has received very little in the way of jobseeker’s allowance or other benefits. She is now registered disabled and has been receiving benefits but only for the past few months.
I do not think she has paid national insurance contributions (NICs) since she was young, when she did work for a while.
What is her situation regarding a state pension? Can I pay the 10 years she would need to qualify?
”
From: SM/via email
A
In order to get any state pension, she herself will need to have 10 qualifying years of NICs. A qualifying year is where an individual has:
• paid NICs because they are working;
• they received national insurance credits (NICs); or
• they paid voluntary NICs.
You are entitled to NICs if you are on working tax credit, universal credit or carer’s allowance.
When your daughter was on jobseeker’s allowance, she would have received national insurance credits. If she is receiving employment and support allowance or unemployability allowance, she will also have received national insurance credits. If she was eligible but did not receive these allowances, she will have to apply for the credits.
You should obtain a state pension forecast for your daughter to see the NICs that she has received. You should also speak to the Department for Works and Pensions to see if she could apply for more credits.
Michelle Cracknell is the former chief executive of the Pensions Advisory Service.
This article was originally published in our sister magazine Moneywise, which ceased publication in August 2020.
These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.
Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.