Budget: Grandparents of working age who care for their grandchildren will see that work count towards their entitlement for the basic state pension

[WilfSell]

Now that's a good idea, amid all the gloom.

Need to find the details...

Peachy.. my mum is 60 she was a SAHM for most of her 25 year marriage, and just has had her basic state pension contributions recognised via the child benefits received, and now qualifies for a near full pension. is this an option for your mother ?

I am with those who say this enables grandparents to have their contribution recognised in a manner that is already available to parents..therefore does not take anything away from SAHPs. Don't know the detail on how that is managed, but I imagine that ou would need to declare the time you were caring for the children, so you could not have multiple people claiming for the same children/time...

nkweto not sure but will tell her to look into it, thank you

peachy, hopefully she can

I honestly do not believe mothers should be "paid" for looking after their own children. This is nice move to extend the right to NI contributions for child care (already available to non-employed parents).

The current taxation/benefits system is a disaster though. It should never be more beneficial to NOT work. Didn't there used be a higher tax code if you were married and have children? That's certainly the case here. All this effort in paying CTCs. It could be so much simpler.

I can see where DSM is coming from. Parents choose to have children: caring for them isn't a 'job'. If other people are taking on some of the caring responsibilities, then it does have different status from parental care.

The comment by BonsoirAnna about 'full time parenting' not being valued is frankly risible. I am a full time parent and so is my husband - there is not a single moment of the day that I am not a parent with all the responsibilities, worries and joys that entails, and I don't know any parent who would describe themself as a part time parent.

I don't think this is that controversial since it seems to be about extending the same rights to NI credits that parents can already claim to grandparents who do provide a huge wodge of economic value in caring for children for free.

I think it is quite a progressive and indeed feminist move since most of those carers are women and many, many working class women of the generation who will be most affected have appalling pension provision, including state pension provision.

So I see this merely as extending a VERY limited safety net (after all, the state pension is no great shakes is it) and recognising the currently unpaid labour of grandparents as of value to society. It is not removing benefits from parent carers at all.

I agree with BonsoirAnna and policywonk that SAHPs should be recognised more, but I don't really see how this added benefit to grandparents is taking away from anyone.

violethill I don't think anyone would describe themselves as a 'part time parent'. I am always ultimately responsible for my child's care but as a working mother whose daughter is in nursery, there is a part of the day when I am not directly responsible for her. During this time (which is paid for 80% by the government), I am able to earn money, which I would not be able to as a SAHM with full-time childcare responsibilities. I don't think it is risible to call SAHPs full time parents.

It does annoy me that the state will contribute so generously for someone else to care for my child, but not for me to do so myself. Of course, this means that both myself and the carer are in paid employment, rather than neither of us, and money makes the world go round I suppose. But it's a sad state of affairs IMO.