Do I need to get unemployment benefit or whatever it's called now to get NI/Pension credits or can I just pay them myself?

[CountessDracula]

I was made redundant a while ago, it has occurred to me that I should be paying some kind of NI contribution should I not? I don't want to sign on as I don't need the money so would feel guilty. Can I pay for these things directly?

I think if you are getting child benefit and are not working then you would automatically get NI credits (is it called HRP - home responsibilities protection?)

Otherwise, the only way to pay them yoursefl is if you register as self-employed (and have some self-employed earnings, however small) and then you can pay class 2 NI contributions weekly or monthly.

Do I get child benefit? Is that the one that everyone gets? The sort of tenner a week one? If so yes.
So do I need to do anything to tell them I am not working and they need to give me these credits?

Yes, child benefit is the easy one that everyone gets as long as they apply for it when their kids are born. Re telling them, I'm afraid I don't know, but you could google "home responsibilities protection" or put it in at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk and see what comes up.

thanks bramshott

If your are getting child benifet the you your ni contribution paid.

Although you don't get all of it. I have just had a letter saying that i owed the about £136.00 due to be paid by 2011 (yes date right).

Your get 16 years for 1 child and 19 years for 2 children.

HTH

HRP info here it is awarded automatically, but only for whole years

HRP is not a full credit BTW:

"How do I qualify for Home Responsibility Protection (HRP)?

A. For each full tax year (from April to April) that you get Child Benefit for a child under age 16, an ?HRP year? is automatically recorded. These HRP years reduce the number of qualifying years you need for a Basic State Pension.

HRP cannot be awarded for part of the tax year. To qualify, you must be getting Child Benefit in your name for a child under 16 throughout the tax year. A tax year starts on 6 April and ends on 5 April the next year."

from here

does that apply even if I am working then?

see more info on this thread

if you download State Pensions - Your Guide from here there is a full explanation of HRP - I tried to post info from it on the other thread, but was unsuccessful

You can apply for a State Pension Forecast which will tell you exactly how much you are likely to get based on your current NI contributions. It will tell you how many years you have had knocked off of the minimum required for a state pension by getting HRP. I think that every full year you get CB is a year knocked off the 45 years you have to contribute in order to get the full state pension.

oh cool
I don't need to worry then, I have already worked for 20 odd years and dd is only 4!

(and I will be going back to work soon)