One million unpaid carers urged to claim DWP benefit that could boost pension

Millions of households are being encouraged to claim a lesser-known DWP benefit, which could increase their state pension by up to £328 annually. This alert is aimed at unpaid carers who don't earn enough to make National Insurance contributions, thus jeopardising their eligibility for a full state pension.

To be eligible for any state pension, you need at least 10 years' worth of NI contributions, and 35 years are needed to receive the full amount of £221 per week. Career breaks, such as those taken to raise children or care for relatives, can lead to gaps in your NI record, potentially diminishing your state pension entitlement.

Thankfully, you can claim free credits to fill these gaps before voluntarily buying back any missing years. Experts at Mobilise, a community for unpaid carers, are urging the country's 10 million carers to apply for 'carer's credit' to ensure households they can receive the full new state pension.

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Carer's credit bridges the gap between caring and work. It ensures that any years where you're not paying national insurance due to time spent caring are still counted.

It doesn't require any payments to be made and helps unpaid carers continue to build up towards that 35-year target. Each annual credit missed could cost you 1/35th of the value of your state pension, according to wealth manager Quilter.

By claiming the credit, you could potentially boost your state pension by £328 annually - a sum that could exceed £6,000 over a typical retirement period.

Suzanne Bourne, care expert at Mobilise, warned: "If you start work at 21 and stop working at 51 to care for your partner, you will only receive a partial state pension when you turn 66. This could come as a huge shock and could have been avoided with the carer's credit. We're encouraging everyone to check whether they are eligible as soon as possible."

She further explained: "Carer's credit can be backdated to the start of the previous tax year, even if the person we were caring for no longer has care needs or has passed away. So it's vital that you don't leave it too long to submit your application, if you think you're eligible."

Before submitting a claim, it's advisable to review your NI record. If you suspect you're missing National Insurance years, the first step is to check your state pension forecast.