Grandparents could potentially boost their state pension by tens of thousands of pounds - just by looking after their grandchildren.
Elderly relatives could be entitled to Specified Adult Childcare Credits, which are awarded when parents sign over National Insurance (NI) credits.
The state pension you get in retirement depends on how many qualifying years on your National Insurance record you’ve built up over your working life.
Most people need 35 qualifying years to claim the full new state pension - which is worth £203.85 per week - and ten years to receive anything at all.
If an elderly relative has gaps in their National Insurance record, claiming Specified Adult Childcare Credits could help them top up their state pension.
The person must have been under state pension age (currently 66) when they were caring for a child under the age of 12, or 17 if the child has a disability.
Grandparents are most likely to benefit from the scheme, but other family members can also claim, and there isn’t a set number of hours you need to be looking after the child for.
If you were caring for them but now aren't, or they are 12 or older now but were younger during your care, you may still be able to backdate your claim back to 2011.
This means you also may still be entitled if you have since reached state pension age, but were under state pension age during the time you were looking after the child.
In terms of the parent, they need to be entitled to child benefit and have a qualifying year for National Insurance without needing the class 3 NI credits which they receive automatically from child benefit.
Previous research from St James's Place (SJP) suggested 150,000 grandparents could be missing out on Specified Adult Childcare Credits.
Figures from SJP show someone who can boost their credits from 30 to 35 years could be £1,375 better off each year after they retire and receive their state pension.
HMRC received more than 21,000 Specified Adult Childcare credits (SACC) applications last year according to data obtained by SJP following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
How to apply for Specified Adult Childcare Credits
You'll need to fill out form CA9176 on the Gov.uk website to claim Specified Adult Childcare Credits.
Both you and the parent transferring the credit will need to sign the form, so you must be in agreement that you're happy to go ahead with the transfer.
You should also be aware that only one grandparent or family member can receive the credit - and the credit is per child benefit claimant, not per child.
