National Insurance (NI) contributions
You will normally get a National Insurance (NI) credit for each week CA is paid, unless you are a married woman and have elected to pay reduced rate contributions, which do not count for entitlement to contributory benefits.
Credits protect your rights to a State Pension and some other benefits, but to get NI benefits you will need to have paid some contributions as well. If you are short of contributions for previous years when you did not get credits, you should seek advice from your local Jobcentre Plus office.
Widow’s and bereavement benefits
If you get a widow’s benefit or bereavement benefit, this will normally be more than CA. This means you will not get extra benefit by claiming CA. However, you may be able to get NI credits if you claim. (NI credits are not awarded with widow’s or bereavement benefits.) The CA Unit will write to you each year to make sure you meet the CA rules before crediting your NI account.