Carer's state pensions 'at risk' as carer credit claims fall nearly 20% By Sophie Smith 12/4/2021 Industry experts have raised concerns that carers may be at risk of losing valuable pension credits, after a freedom of information request by Quilter revealed an almost 20 per cent fall in the number of people claiming a carer's credit, from 6,489 in 2019 to 5,209 in 2020. The provider emphasised that each annual credit missed could be costing carers 1/35th of the vale of the state pension, representing around £260 per year or £5,200 over the course of a typical 20-year retirement. Quilter also noted that whilst the number of claims has fallen, the number of people who became unpaid carers has increased during the pandemic, with figures from six charities supporting Carers Week showing an increase from 4.5 million to 13.6 million in June 2020.