Apply for Home Responsibilities Protection
Use the online service or postal form CF411 to apply for National Insurance Home Responsibilities Protection, or to transfer it from a spouse or partner.
You can use the online service or postal form to:
- apply for Home Responsibilities Protection
- transfer Home Responsibilities Protection from a spouse or partner
Before you apply, you must check if you are eligible.
Evidence you will need to provide
If you’re a foster or kinship carer
You need to send a copy of an up-to-date letter of confirmation from the local authority or fostering agency with your application.
If you’re a carer for a sick or disabled person
You need to send evidence with your application, showing the allowance or benefits the person you cared for was paid during the period you were caring for them.
The evidence must show that the allowance or benefit was paid to cover at least 48 weeks of each year that you’re claiming Home Responsibilities Protection.
If you were awarded Child Benefit for a child under 16
If you think Home Responsibilities Protection is missing from your National Insurance record when you were awarded Child Benefit for a child under 16, apply online or by post.
You’ll need to include the:
- names of all of your children
- dates of birth of all of your children
- details of the other parent if known
You can also include evidence that supports your claim, for example a Child Benefit award letter or a bank statement showing Child Benefit payments.
If you’re applying on behalf of someone who has died who was awarded Child Benefit
If you are applying on behalf of someone who has died, apply by post and include a letter confirming you are the personal representative.
Ways to apply
Apply online
You’ll need to sign in to use this service. If you do not already have sign in details, you’ll be able to create them.
You will get a reference number that you can use to track the progress of your form.
If you’re submitting a letter of confirmation or supporting evidence you’ll need to upload an image of it and send it with your application. The file you send should be:
- 5MB or less in size
- in PDF or JPEG format
Apply by post
To apply by post, you will need:
- the tax years you are applying for Home Responsibilities Protection
- the dates you claimed Child Benefit
- any dates that you lived outside the UK during the period you’re applying for
To use this form, you’ll need to:
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Get all of your information together before you start. You will fill this form in online and you cannot save your progress.
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Print the form.
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Sign the declaration.
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Post to HMRC (the address is at the end of the form).
You can also phone the National Insurance enquiries helpline to ask for an application form to be sent to you.
Get help with submitting your application
You can use these notes to help you complete your application for Home Responsibilities Protection.
After you’ve applied
After you’ve submitted your application you can check when you can expect a reply from HMRC.
Updates to this page
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Guidance updated with new 'If you were awarded Child Benefit for a child under 16' and 'If you’re applying on behalf of someone who has died who was awarded Child Benefit' sections.
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Guidance has been added on how to check when you can expect a reply from HMRC after you've submitted your application.
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The link to the eligibility checker tool has been moved and made more prominent.
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'Before you apply' has been updated to include that you must first check if you have any gaps in your National Insurance record and if you are eligible to apply for Home Responsibilities Protection. The instruction for parents or carers to check if they can apply for National Insurance credits using form CF411A has been removed. The 'You will need' section has been updated for clarification and to include only the things that you need.
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The apply by post form has been updated.
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A Welsh version of the form has been added.
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First published.