17 April 2025
Islanders will now receive improved Social Security support during two key stages,
with two new policies introduced by the Minister for Social Security, Deputy Lyndsay
Feltham. These policies are supporting both those pursuing further education and
stay at home parents who will have another child in the future.
Firstly, to support lifelong learning, the maximum period for which student
contribution credits can be claimed for Social Security purposes has been extended
from 36 months to 60 months. These credits help maintain an individual’s
contribution record while they are in full-time education, protecting their future
pension entitlement.
The updated student credit policy applies to anyone currently studying or beginning
a new full-time course. Individuals will be able to claim up to 60 months, minus any
student credits previously used. Those who completed full-time education before this
change remain eligible for up to 36 months of credits under the existing policy.
In a second change, parents who stay at home to care for a child under free nursery
education age will now be able to use Home Responsibility Protection, HRP, credits
to qualify for parental allowance for a future child. Previously, while HRP credits
counted towards pension entitlements, they did not provide eligibility for parental
allowance.
These changes mean:
- Parents will be able to use HRP credits to claim parental allowance if their
baby’s due date, or adoption date, is on or after 1 July 2025, and
- They choose to start receiving parental allowance from 1 July 2025.
This support will be available until the August before the school year in which the
child turns four, when they become eligible for free nursery education through the
Jersey Nursery Education Fund.
Minister for Social Security, Deputy Lyndsay Feltham said: “These changes reflect
our continued commitment to supporting Islanders throughout their lives from
raising young families to investing in education. By ensuring that parents at home
with young children can access parental allowance if they have another child, and
that students studying full-time are protected in their pension contributions, we’re
delivering practical changes that respond to people’s needs for now and in the
future.
"These measures also directly support the goals set out in our Common
Strategic Policy to prepare for demographic change, support families, and invest in
skills.”
For more information, visit Gov.je/essh or Employment, Social Security
and Housing at Union Street.
gov.je