'My 28-year-old son can't work – will he miss out on the state pension?'

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When my son was three years old, he was diagnosed with autism, which has been an everyday challenge for our family. Communicating with him has always been difficult, making it impossible for him to hold a job. As a result, he relies solely on his Disability Living Allowance for financial support.

If he keeps this same job until he retires, will he qualify for a government retirement fund?

The qualifications for receiving state pension benefits for those who cannot work generally rely on whether or not they have earned National Insurance (NI) credits.

Nonetheless, individuals who receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) have a distinct entitlement to benefits during their retirement. DLA is gradually being substituted with Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment in Scotland.

If a person has never had a job or is unable to receive National Insurance credits due to other reasons like caring responsibilities, their primary source of financial assistance once they reach the state pension age would be the Pension Credit.

Individuals who receive Disability Living Allowance and were born after 1948, such as your son, are eligible for Personal Independence Payments. These payments will persist even after the individual reaches state pension age, but it is necessary to be younger than state pension age to apply for it.

You can potentially receive a sum of up to £184.30 per week at present if you qualify for the higher rate of PIP's daily living and mobility components.

Typically, PIP is dispensed every 28 days and is not taxed. Those who receive Disability Living Allowance are being encouraged to make the transition to PIP. If your offspring has yet to receive their invitation, it should be delivered shortly.

Even though it may be quite a while before he reaches state pension age, it's possible that he may be eligible for Pension Credit at that time if the system continues to operate in a similar manner. This would provide him with additional income support. It's important to note that his PIP entitlement won't be taken into account when determining his eligibility for Pension Credit.

In due course, this might indicate that he will not be in a more disadvantageous position upon reaching the age of receiving the state pension than he would have been if he had obtained the standard state pension through the National Insurance credits scheme.

If his circumstances change as he goes through his adult years and he becomes capable of working, it could alter the amount of additional support he's entitled to. In addition, if he earns more than the minimum earnings threshold and works for a minimum of 10 years, he may meet the criteria for state pension benefits. Ten years is the required amount of time for anyone to work in order to qualify for state pension.

If he is eligible for PIP, he may be able to receive some state pension, PIP, and Pension Credit. However, the amount he receives will vary based on his entitlements at that moment.

If you have taken a break from your job to look after your son, then your National Insurance record might have been impacted. In such cases, you could be eligible to request retroactive National Insurance credits as a caregiver. You will receive these credits automatically if you receive Carer's Allowance.

Nonetheless, it is essential to note that acquiring Carer's Credit necessitates an individual initiative to apply for their NI credits.