UK pension - Do you get NI contributions credited for years you were in full time education?

[jane doe]

I understood that you don't get credits while at university or other full-time education. Am I wrong? I have checked my National Insurance record, and it shows that neither the four years I was at university, or the year I did teacher training have been credited. It would be great to get another 5 years worth of credits on my record.

[RetireJapan]

People used to get credit for the last two years of secondary education, but that is no longer the case. No credit for uni etc.

[adamu]

Not for education specifically, but for age. Between 1975 and 2010, you could get 'starting credits' the financial years you turned 16, 17 and 18.

Starting credits are awarded for the tax years in which a person attains the age of 16, 17 and 18, up to the level needed to make it a qualifying year that counts towards entitlement on a claim for basic State Pension and Bereavement Benefits.

Since April 1975, National Insurance contributions have been credited to people for the tax year in which they reach age 16 and the following two tax years to help them satisfy the National Insurance contribution conditions on a claim for basic state pension entitlement and for bereavement benefits (“starting credits”). The policy intention was to ensure that young people staying on in education beyond the minimum school leaving age did not lose future benefit entitlement as a result. There is no requirement for the individual to be in the UK at the relevant age. This was mainly to ensure that young people being educated outside the UK were not penalised.

The amendments made by these Regulations provide that an award of starting credits will not be made in respect of any tax year commencing on or after 6 April 2010.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pen ... rsity.html
https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manual ... l/nim41210
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/201 ... 709_en.pdf

[jane doe]

Thanks, that was what I understood. Just that I saw on another thread something that seemed to suggest years at uni also qualified for credits.