NIM30021 - Special Cases: Married Women: Background: Position up to 5 April 1975: Administrative procedures

A woman who married was required to notify the DSS of her date of marriage and change of surname. When a local office received such notification a leaflet NI 1 “MarriedWomen” was sent to the woman. The leaflet explained that a married woman could choose whether or not to pay contributions; it also contained form CF9 on which she could make her choice.

Invariably the woman brought her marriage certificate to the local office and before making a choice the officer attending to her was required to explain the effect of choosing whether or not to pay. In making her choice the woman declared that she had either read leaflet NI 1 or had it explained to her.

Records Branch was the part of the DSS responsible for the maintenance of National Insurance records. When the local office received a form CF9 indicating that the woman did not wish to pay contributions a notification was completed by one officer and crosschecked by another before despatch to Records Branch. The form CF9 was kept in the local office for a period of 6 years and then, in line with DSS policy, destroyed.

When the notification was received in Records Branch the clerk recorded the election on the permanent record (RF1). The entry on the record was abbreviated as, for example,“MW1/NP” – Married Woman in Class 1 employment who had chosen Not to Pay.

During the period from 5 August 1948 to 5 April 1975. an employed married woman who had chosen not to pay National Insurance contributions still paid a small contribution of a few pence a week which was due under the Industrial Injuries Act. These covered the woman for injuries at work but not for any other benefits.

It was necessary for a special stamped card to be issued to enable payment of the industrial injuries rate (commonly known as exempt rate) stamps to be paid. Such stamp cards were quite distinctive from normal National Insurance cards and gave the employer the authority to deduct contributions from the employee’s earnings at the exemp trate.

There was no advantage to be gained by the employer where a married woman chose not to pay as the employer’s share of the contribution remained at the same rate as for a normal Class 1 stamp.

If an election not to pay contributions was made part way through a year an adhesive label was affixed to the normal stamp card by the DSS. This gave the employer the authority to cease deducting Class 1 contributions and to begin deducting exempt rate contributions. When the card expired at the end of the contribution year, it was surrendered to the local office where an exempt rate card was issued in exchange.

The special exempt rate card acted as a certificate of election and without such authority the employer was legally bound to deduct Class 1 contributions. Local DSS Inspectors carried out regular checks of employers to make sure that such procedures were strictly followed.

Where exempt rate contributions had been deducted without the proper authority it was possible that any arrears, i.e. both the employer’s and the employee’s share, had to be paid by the employer. It was therefore in the employer’s interest to ensure that the correct rate of stamp was affixed to each National Insurance card.