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Grandparents Looking After Grandchildren: A UK Guide

By Chaz Bagri5 November 20258 min read

A grey-haired man and a boy walk hand in hand across the grass in a park, seen from behind

Grandparents looking after grandchildren while parents work may get National Insurance credits. Who qualifies, how to apply, and an after-school plan.

Grandparents looking after grandchildren while parents work can't usually be paid through the government childcare schemes, but they may be able to claim National Insurance credits that count towards their own State Pension. The credits are called Specified Adult Childcare credits. Below is who qualifies and how to apply, then the practical side: an after-school routine and what to agree with the parents.

Specified Adult Childcare credits are Class 3 National Insurance credits that a parent or main carer getting Child Benefit, who doesn't need the credits themselves, can pass to a grandparent or other family member who looks after their child under 12.

This is general information, not advice. Whether a claim is worth making depends on your own National Insurance record and State Pension forecast, and you can check both online.

Can grandparents claim for looking after grandchildren?

Not in cash, but possibly in National Insurance. If you're under State Pension age and you look after a grandchild under 12 whose parent gets Child Benefit and already has a qualifying year of National Insurance, so doesn't need the credit themselves, you may be able to take over the weekly credit that parent gets. It's sometimes called the grandparent childcare credit, though that isn't its official name.

GOV.UK's guidance explains that the credits work by transferring the National Insurance credit a parent gets as the Child Benefit recipient to an eligible family member. You get a Class 3 credit for each week or part week you provided care.

GOV.UK says you can apply as long as:

you're an eligible family member who looked after a child under 12
you were 16 or over, and under State Pension age, when you looked after them
you're ordinarily resident in the UK, but not the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man
the child's parent or main carer has claimed Child Benefit, doesn't need the credits themselves, and agrees to your application

It isn't only grandparents. Great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters (including half, step and adopted), and a mother or father who doesn't live with the child all count. So do the current or previous partners of anyone on that list, and those partners' sons and daughters.

Seen talk of "new rules"? The credit isn't new. It was introduced on 6 April 2011 and can be claimed from that date.

How do grandparents apply for National Insurance credits?

You apply for Specified Adult Childcare credits on form CA9176. GOV.UK says you fill it in online, then print it and post it to HMRC at the address on the form. You can't save your progress, so gather everything first.

You'll need your own details, the child's details and the periods you looked after them, and the details of the parent who gets Child Benefit. You both sign a declaration, and the parent countersigns to confirm you provided the care and can have the credits.

The timing catches people out. GOV.UK says you must wait until 31 October after the end of the tax year you're applying for. That's because HMRC first checks that the parent already has a qualifying year of their own, so the credit is spare. The parent can check their National Insurance record online beforehand to see they have credits to transfer.

Because the credits run from 6 April 2011, earlier years of care may count too, as long as you met the conditions in each of them.

GOV.UK also says who shouldn't apply for the same period: anyone who already has a qualifying year, usually through work or other credits, and anyone who gets Child Benefit for a child and already gets credits automatically.

Is it worth claiming, and what doesn't it do?

It's most likely to help if the years you've spent looking after grandchildren would otherwise be gaps in your National Insurance record. If you were working and paying National Insurance in those years, you may already have qualifying years, and GOV.UK says not to apply for any period where you do.

Three things it isn't:

It isn't cash. It's a credit on your record. GOV.UK's National Insurance credits page says Class 3 credits count towards your State Pension only.
It isn't a tax credit or an allowance. Nothing is paid to you or to the parents.
It isn't Pension Credit, which is a separate benefit for people over State Pension age on a low income.

The new State Pension guide says you need 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension, and that the qualifying years on your record affect how much you get. So the useful first step is to check your State Pension forecast, which shows how much you could get and whether you could increase it. GOV.UK says you can't use the forecast if you're already getting your State Pension or have put off claiming it, and to contact the Pension Service instead. If you're near State Pension age, check your State Pension age too, because the credits only cover care given before it.

Can grandparents get paid for childcare in the UK?

Parents can pay you privately, but the government childcare schemes rarely cover it. GOV.UK's approved childcare rules say:

England and Scotland: Tax-Free Childcare only helps pay a relative, such as a grandparent, if they're a registered childminder and look after the child outside the child's home. Free Childcare for Working Parents can't be used for childcare by a relative.
Wales: help is only available if the relative is a registered childminder caring for the child outside the child's home.
Northern Ireland: the relative must be in a childcare approval scheme, care for the child outside the child's home, and look after at least one other child who isn't related to the family.

What does an easy after-school routine at your house look like?

Most grandparent childcare tips are about saying no. This is about the afternoons you've already said yes to. As an illustration, here's a school day with a five-year-old, collected at 3.15pm and picked up by a parent at 5.45pm:

3.15pm, the pickup. A snack on the walk or in the car. Ask one question about their day, not ten.
3.45pm, outside for half an hour. The park, the garden or the long way home. You can sit on the bench; they do the running.
4.15pm, a quiet half hour. Reading, drawing, or yoga with you as the caller. On our Freedom Flow mat every pose has a number, so you call one from your chair and they find it: 1 is a flower, 3 a star, 14 a rabbit. If you're both new to yoga, our beginner's guide to kids' yoga starts from nothing.
4.45pm, tea. Their parents' food rules, not yours.
5.15pm, homework if there is any, then something calm until the handover at 5.45pm.

Getting up and moving suits both of you. The NHS gives children aged 5 to 18 and adults aged 65 and over the same advice: reduce time spent sitting or lying down, and break up long periods of not moving with some activity.

If your grandchild comes out of school frazzled and falls apart the moment they see you, our guide to after-school meltdowns explains why it happens. For the holidays and longer days, there are more things to do with grandchildren at home, sorted by how much energy you have.

What should grandparents agree with the parents?

Agree these at the start, ideally in writing:

Screens: how much and what. Their rule, at your house too.
Food: what's allowed after school, and what spoils tea.
Allergies and medicines: written down, with where any medicine is kept.
The car: GOV.UK says children must normally use a child car seat until they're 12 years old or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first. If you do pickups, you need a seat that fits.
Homework and reading: your job or theirs.
Running late: who you call, and what happens if a parent is held up.
The credit: whether the parent who gets Child Benefit is happy to countersign form CA9176. It's easier to ask before the form arrives.

Who to ask about your own record

For questions about your State Pension, or to ask for a forecast, contact the Future Pension Centre. For the credits themselves, the GOV.UK guidance page links to a tool that shows when you can expect a reply from HMRC after you apply.

If your grandchildren live with you most of the time, rather than coming after school, that's a different situation. GOV.UK calls it kinship care, sometimes called family and friends care, and says your local council must tell you what support it offers.

Frequently asked questions

Can both grandparents get the credit?

Not for the same grandchildren. GOV.UK says there is only one credit for each Child Benefit claim, however many children are on it, and the parent who gets Child Benefit decides who has it. If you look after children from two of your own children's families, there are likely to be two Child Benefit claims, so two credits may be available.

Can I claim if I've already reached State Pension age?

Only for care you gave before you reached it. GOV.UK says you must have been under State Pension age when you looked after the child, and the credits go back to 6 April 2011. State Pension age depends on your date of birth, so check yours with the GOV.UK calculator rather than relying on a number you've heard.

How many hours do I need to look after them?

The GOV.UK guidance doesn't set a minimum number of hours. It says you get a Class 3 credit for each week or part week you provided care for the child. The form asks for the periods you provided care, so a note in the diary of which weeks you did makes it easier.

Is it the same as Pension Credit?

No. Pension Credit is a separate benefit that, in GOV.UK's words, gives extra money to help with living costs if you're over State Pension age and on a low income. Specified Adult Childcare credits are National Insurance credits for care you gave before State Pension age. They count towards your State Pension and aren't paid as money.

For the 4.15pm half hour

If the quiet half hour is the hardest part of your afternoon, a mat that's always at your house makes it easy to start. Our full-length yoga mats for children have 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface, so you call a number and your grandchild finds the pose, with nothing to set up and no screen.

They're designed for ages 3 to 8, at 183 x 61 cm, and weigh 800 g with a shoulder carry strap. Each is £34.99 with free UK delivery, and two or more are 10 per cent off if your grandchildren come from two households. Choosing a present as well? Our gifts for grandchildren are things you'll use together long after the day.

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