Grandparents could receive £6,000 boost in new State Pension when caring for grandkids Grandparents could get an extra £300 a year for looking after grandkids in new State Pension Grandparents could receive £300 boost in new State Pension (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto ) Grandparents could receive a £6,000 boost over the course of their retirement when caring for their grandkids in the new State Pension. Older relatives looking after children aged under 12 years old are able to benefit from additional State Pension payments as part of a National Insurance scheme. ‌ A single extra National Insurance credit currently adds around £303 a year to the full New State Pension, which would equate to more than £6,000 over a typical 20-year retirement. ‌ Read more: DWP bringing in 12 new state pension rules with first just months away This boost is known as Specified Adult Childcare credit and can be applied for if you match the following criteria, as stated on gov.uk: You are an eligible family member, who provided care for a child aged under 12 You were aged 16 years and over, but under State Pension age, when you provided care for the child You are 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, but does not need the credits themselves The child’s parent or main carer agrees to your application Article continues below The child’s parent or main carer must countersign the form to confirm they agree that, for the period stated, you: Provided care for their child Can have the credits Credits work by transferring the weekly National Insurance credit a parent or carer gets, as the Child Benefit recipient, to an eligible family member. ‌ They can also be used to stop gaps in your National Insurance record, and you will get a Class 3 National Insurance credit for each week or part week you provided care for the child. However, there is only one credit available for each Child Benefit claim, regardless of the amount of children on the claim itself. This is different if the grandparents also have a son and care for both their daughter's and son's children, as there are likely two Child Benefit recipients. Article continues below Because of this, there would be two credits available for transfer. If no one has claimed Child Benefit for the child, there is no attached National Insurance credit to transfer, and credits cannot be granted.