MARTIN Lewis’ MoneySavingExpert (MSE) has revealed how grandparents can get thousands of pounds of free money.

MSE explained how people can get help through specified credits for adult childcare.

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It’s essentially compensation for under-state pension age grandparents who care for their grandchildren while their parents are at work – and they’re worth £300 a year.

The credits count towards National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for those who are not otherwise working.

This is important because you need at least 10 years of NI payments or credits to qualify for the state pension and at least 35 years to receive the full amount.

Grandparents and any family member can apply for these discounts for their AOW entitlement for the previous tax year.

Those who provided childcare in previous years can have their claim back to 2011, when the scheme started.

An MSE reader wrote on the website that he found out he could qualify after watching an episode of the Martin Lewis Money Show.

They said: ‘I was short on National Insurance contributions for almost two years and told I had to pay more than £1,000 to make up for it.

“After seeing your program after Specified Childcare Credit, I filled out the form while I babysat my grandchildren two days a week.

“I received confirmation this week that the years are now full and that I do not have to pay anything to receive my full state pension next June.”

Applications can go back to 2011, even if some of it involved virtual care during the pandemic.

Who is eligible for the credits?

To be eligible for the ‘Specified adult childcare allowance’ the carer (or grandparent) must be under the state pension age, which is currently 66.

Martin added: “You can’t get it if you are already of state pension age, but if you have reached state pension age and are not getting the full pension and you have done childcare before you reached state pension age, then you can date it back.

“So if grandparents take care of the children, they might be able to increase their pension.”

The child being cared for must also be under the age of 12, or 17 if they have a disability.

The carer must live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

However, you are not eligible if you live in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Crucially, you will only be eligible if the child’s parent is entitled to child benefit and has a year of National Insurance eligibility, without needing the parent’s Class 3 National Insurance credits, which he or she automatically receives from child benefit.

You can consult your national insurance information at the gov.uk website to see if there are any gaps in your contributions.

What do I get?

The amount of credit you receive depends on how long you have been caring for your grandchildren.

Each annual credit is worth 1/35 of the value of the state pension, which currently stands at around £300 per year.

This means that if you have been caring for your grandchildren since 2011, you can expect to receive the full £3,300 towards your state pension.

To find out how much you should get, multiply the number of years you care for your grandchild by $300.

How do I claim the credits?

It’s not that easy to get these credits because claiming them means parents are transferring their child support credits to someone else.

Only one grandparent or family member can receive the credit and the credit does not apply per child but per child benefit applicant.

For example, if two grandparents care for their daughter and her child, only one credit is available and the daughter must decide which grandparent gets it.

But if the grandparents also care for their daughter’s child and their son, there are likely to be two child benefit recipients.

This allows you to apply for credits form on the government website.

After you have entered your details, the child’s parent (or main caregiver) must also agree to your application by co-signing the form.

If you need help, you can call the National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500.

Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk.

Moreover, you can join us Sun Money chats and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.

By Kylie Stevens for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 7:52 PM EST, March 4, 2024 | Updated: 7:58 PM EST, March 4, 2024

Heartbreaking footage captured the moment a one-armed orphan from Gaza broke down in tears as he arrived in the US for medical treatment.

Omar Abukwaik, 5, suffered serious injuries, including the loss of his arm, in an Israeli airstrike that killed his family and grandparents in December.

After receiving emergency care in Egypt, Omar’s aunt was able to transport him to America through her charity, the Global Medical Relief Fund, where he will undergo a number of further operations, including fitting a prosthetic arm.

She spoke of helping him about the horrors he survived CBS News: ‘These are innocent children who have absolutely no resources.’

He is among thousands of Palestinian refugees displaced by the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict, with a new immigration law issued this month by President Biden halting the deportation of more than 6,000 people, according to the New York Times.

The little boy flew from Cairo to New York’s JFK airport this week after his aunt Elissa Montanti cut through the red tape to get him the emergency health care he needed.

His entire family was killed in an airstrike on Gaza in December, when Israel launched its counter-offensive against Hamas’ terrorist attacks on October 7.

Human rights organizations have condemned the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza, including more than 7,000 children, as a result of the airstrikes, including the impact on families like Omar’s.

While his mother, father, grandparents and two young siblings were killed, Omar miraculously survived but suffered serious injuries, including leg wounds, burns and the amputation of his left arm.

He initially received emergency care in Cairo, Egypt, where he will return in a few weeks, but he still required further trauma treatment.

Thanks to his aunt’s charity, Omar was able to be seen by US healthcare specialists on the East Coast, while also experiencing some brief childhood moments, such as experiencing snow for the first time.

Montanti said her charity has helped similarly affected children from more than 60 countries suffering from war or natural disasters.

For her nephew, she worked with Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia to facilitate his care, and the five-year-old is being fitted for a prosthetic arm.

One of his doctors told CBS News, “The fact that Omar was able to be brought here is good for Omar.”

“If he stayed in Gaza or Egypt, who knows,” he continued. “I don’t know what would have happened.”

Omar’s recovery is expected to take several weeks, with his aunt praising how the US was able to provide medical treatment for the injured child.

“It’s very important and it’s empowering,” Montanti said.

‘You give them back their youth when they are so small, and their integrity. It’s just important, very important, to give strength to a child who has had so much taken from him.”

But before he crossed the Atlantic again, his aunt gave him one last chance to be a kid in America as he enjoyed a day out at a children’s museum.

The child’s help comes as Israel has continued its siege of Gaza, with four women and a child among eight injured in another airstrike on Sunday.

Hamas claims IDF attacks have killed 92 Palestinians in the past 24 hours.

It was also reported that in almost five months of the war the total death toll rose to 29,606 and the total number of wounded rose to almost 70,000.

The figure comes from the Ministry of Health in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. It says two-thirds of the dead were children and women.

Meanwhile, Israel claimed its forces have killed more than 10,000 Hamas fighters but provided no details.

There are still more than a hundred hostages in Gaza.

Bollywood Diva, singer and model Shehnaaz Gill finds a memorable moment in her busy life with her grandparents and brother. Here’s how fans reacted to Shehnaaz’s post.

Indian actress, singer and model Shehnaaz Gill recently posted a heartwarming photo of her family on social media. Shehnaaz somehow managed to find some family time in her busy life schedule. The actress posted a beautiful photo in which she struck a sweet pose with her family. Shehnaaz Gill is seen in the picture posing with her heart and soul with her grandparents and brother. “Dada dadi,” she captioned her Instagram post.

This is what Shehnaaz Gill posted on Instagram

On Shehnaaz Gill’s Instagram account, fans were quick to comment on the actress’ family photo. Users flooded the comments section with love. One user wrote: “Best photo of the day, God bless you all forever.” Another fan commented, “Why I get emotional (heart emoji) Grandparents are the biggest blessing in our lives (heart emoji).” The third user wrote: “What a beautiful photo and so much love for your grandparents. Welcome home, Punjab.” Shehnaaz Gill captioned her Instagram post: “Dada, Dadi (heart emojis)”

Recently, Shehnaaz Gill shared a video on social media on November 24, 2023, in which the actress was seen accelerating her mother’s birthday. The mother-daughter duo giggled, danced, enjoyed the cake and had a great time with her daughter. Shehnaaz captioned her Instagram video: “Happy birthday to my mom”

This is how Shehnaaz Gill celebrated her mother’s birthday – Watch Video

Shehnaaz Gill Work Front

Shehnaaz Gill was last seen in the film Thank you for coming which was released on September 15, 2023. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. The film starred Bollywood divas such as Bhumi Pednekar, Shibani Bedi, Kusha Kapila, Dolly Singh and other actors. The film was released in theaters in October 2023. On Friday, Shehnaaz made a big announcement on Instagram, she wrote, “Gatekeeping is over, it’s time to let these girl bosses take over our screens.” “Thank you for coming” is now available on Netflix.”

Check out Shehnaaz Gill’s Instagram post:

Shehnaaz was also seen in the most popular Hindi reality show Bigg Boss season 13, hosted by Salman Khan. She also debuted in the Punjabi film and music industry in which she acted Kala Shah Kala And Daaka alongside rap star Badshah. In the movie Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ka Jaan, Shehnaaz shared screens with Bollywood stars like Salman Khan and Pooja Hegde.

Kris Jenner and more stars are balancing their high-profile careers fond of their many grandchildren.

The Kardashians matriarch is notably the proud mother of Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner And Kylie Jenner. In addition to supporting her children, she shared her eldest four with her ex-husband Robert Kardashian and her younger two with ex Caitlyn Jenner – she is too now a loving “love” for their respective little ones.

“[My favorite] is constantly changing,” Kris told We weekly and other reporters in January 2020. “[I’m] close to all the girls because we do a lot of fun, girly things. … On [a family] vacation, I think I was attached to it [Kourtney’s son] Management [the most], [but] it changes every day. The babies are just starting to get animated, so that’s cute. There are a lot of personalities.”

Scroll below to see photos of the stars bonding with their grandchildren:

Grieving family members have discovered a new way to remember those they’ve lost: Google Street View.

By changing the date on the tool, they can see old versions of the streets where their loved ones lived.

Relatives have been ‘burst into tears’ after finding their deceased parents doing activities they loved, such as gardening and going for their daily walk.

Others say it’s a source of comfort to be able to turn back the clock and watch their deceased relatives, immortalized on Google Street View, go about their daily lives.

One man found his grandfather ‘waiting forever’ for the bus during his daily library visit, while another saw his father tending the garden.

Susie Yeo, from Manchester, discovered an image of her late father in an old version of Street View when searching for her parents’ home, and said the ‘quirky’ feature is a way of keeping his memory alive.

** Have you seen a deceased relative on Street View? Email: tips@dailymail.com **

Ms Yeo said she had no idea Google Maps could do this and was overjoyed by the ‘unexpected’ discovery.

She said: ‘I never thought about doing this and didn’t know it shows older images. I googled my parents house and my late father is in his driveway.

“I have hundreds of photos of Dad, this was just a beautiful discovery.”

She said she only heard about the post after seeing the thread on

Ms Yeo said her father Tony was originally from Singapore but moved to N

Northern England in the 1950s, where he met his future wife Florence.

She said: ‘I’d googled my parents’ house before but never noticed the ‘see more dates’ feature.

‘Most of us have many photos of family, but it was a particularly joyful and unexpected discovery.

‘I’m a “newcomer to grief” – I had no idea what it might feel like. My father was 89 and I was 56 when we lost him, and I quickly realized that his age/my age/the communal nature of parental loss made no difference to the life-changing grief.

“So to have quirky little events like this are just poignant ways to keep Dad with me.”

A post from @Tadhg, from Scotland, on X sparked hundreds of comments after people realized they could ‘go back in time’.

The message read: ‘I have been in favor of taking the bus all my life. I find it strangely moving that my grandfather is captured on Google Maps, forever waiting for his daily trip to the library.”

The thread soared in popularity, with people posting photos of loved ones taken via Google Street View.

Comments on the posts said ‘what a beautiful thing to be able to see’ and called it a ‘beautiful moment in history’.

Another user commented: ‘I knew another gardener immortalized by Google Street View. Sometimes I check on him and that warms my heart.”

Google Street View started in the United States in 2007 and was rolled out to other countries in the following years.

Since 2014, users can open Street View mode in Maps and click ‘see more dates’ under the address in the top left panel.

Users can click on the different dates on the timeline to view the previous versions of that location. More urban areas will likely see more versions saved, with the Google Maps van taking new photos every two years or so.

Poet Sherri Turner also had no idea about the feature until she posted on X, saying she often looks at her childhood home.

But for those who live in more rural areas, there can be much larger gaps of several years between the photos.

She said: ‘I’m looking at my mum’s old house on Google Maps Street View, the house where I grew up. It says “Image captured in May 2009.”

‘There’s a light on in her bedroom. It’s still her house, she’s still alive, I still visit every few months on the train to Bodmin Parkway.

“I’ll take a screenshot of the house, with the lights on, because it won’t last forever, and one day the Google van will come back down that street and replace her house with someone else’s, even though there might be a light on light in the window it won’t be her.’

Her post received 205,000 likes and 21,000 comments, many of which were social media users telling her she could always go back and view the image.

X user Patrick Kennedy found a 2012 Google Street View of his late grandfather at his home in Huddersfield, West Yorks, who died in 2017.

He posted the screenshot on social media, calling it a “perfect image.”

Social media user Elisabeth Anderson also posted: ‘Every now and then I look at my mother’s house on Google Street View and the photos were taken when she was alive.

“It’s comforting to imagine her in her house, busy. The recent one is from 2020, so I’m going back to when she was still around.’

Comedian Howard Walker shared his experience, but said it was bittersweet: “For some reason I was looking at my mom’s house on Google Street View the other day. She only passed away in January, I think I was thinking about her.

‘I drive past it most days because I live so close – I know what her house looks like, but for some reason I then clicked on street view.

‘She’s sitting outside on her bench. It felt like I was punched in the stomach while being hugged. It’s so sad and yet so wonderful. I’m glad they drove by that day.’

Claire Roberts said: ‘In the photo of my childhood home on Google Street View, my father is sitting on the veranda reading his newspaper, as he did every day on a sunny day.

‘He passed away nine years ago. I miss him every day, but the photo makes me think he’s still there.’

Software engineer Paige said, “Google had my grandma come out of the driveway to pick up the mail in her nightgown. She’s been gone almost four years.’

Many grieving relatives were unaware of the ability to view older versions, with Jacqueline Trice saying: ‘My mother crossed the road there.

“She passed away, and I looked at it often. They’ve been updated and it’s like I’ve lost her all over again.’

Another user replied: ‘The same thing happened to my grandpa. Unfortunately, Google Maps updated it and we can no longer see it.”

Other people who saw the message took to the Internet to try to find their own loved ones.

One user said: ‘This is beautiful. My mom is on Google Maps walking home from church.

‘She was already lost to this world due to Alzheimer’s disease, but Google Maps captured a moment in time. It was wonderful to see her.’

Another added: “My grandmother passed away three years ago. She’s still in her favorite spot, sitting on the porch on Google Maps Street View. It’s surreal to see.’

** Have you seen a deceased relative on Street View? Email: tips@dailymail.com **

A couple who weighed nearly 40 between them has lost half their body weight after ditching unhealthy junk food for home cooking.

Grandparents Jo Beveridge, 50, and John Durkin, 52, from Burnley, Lancashire, ate takeaway and delicious meals during the lockdown because ‘it was everything they looked forward to’.

But after John tipped the scales at 21st 8lbs while Jo reached 17st 6lbs, the pair decided to make a change.

And after losing 17th between them, the couple has now been crowned ‘couple of the year’ by Slimming World.

“If I’m honest with myself, I haven’t been happy with my weight since the birth of our first son, Alex,” said account manager Jo.

She dropped five dress sizes after losing 6st 6lbs.

“When Liam arrived a few years later, it became even more difficult to find time to eat healthy,” she continued.

“I would try to lose weight before a big event or holiday, but it would be a quick fix and I always ended up right back where I started once I started eating ‘normal’ again.”

The grandmother added that lockdown meant taking solace in food because she and John couldn’t see their family – leading to the development of some “quite unhealthy habits.”

They joined Slimming World in September 2021 after getting fed up with how they looked and felt.

The grocery store meal deals for lunch and high-calorie beer and wine with take-out meals went out.

Instead, they now prepare fresh salads for lunch and enjoy ready-to-eat, lower-calorie prepared foods.

And when they drink, they now have liquor with a low-calorie mixer and alternate alcohol with low-calorie soft drinks.

Jo also said their pre-lockdown weekends often consisted of ‘a trip to the pub with a takeaway after – so the couple were worried they ‘wouldn’t be able to enjoy that aspect of their lives’ anymore.

“But with a few simple trades, we realized we didn’t have to miss a thing,” she added.

Our daughter-in-law Jodie had joined Slimming World prior to her wedding in 2019 and she looked absolutely amazing on the day.

“She raved about all the delicious food she could eat and how supportive the group was, so we decided to try it ourselves.”

The pair also embarked on a new fitness routine, including regular running, and John managed to complete a marathon earlier this year.

The warehouse manager has cut his weight in half by losing 10th 11 pounds.

“I really got the running bug when the weight started to come off,” he revealed.

“It felt so much easier and my recovery time was much faster.

“The eating plan is no-nonsense, common sense eating — a world away from the crash diets we’ve done in the past.”

He admits the experience has changed the way they think about food.

“We now plan our meals and eat three balanced meals a day, which helps us stay on track,” explains John.

“We also often cook in batches, so if we don’t feel like cooking or don’t have time, there’s usually something in the freezer.

‘The group coaching was also great. I was a little nervous at the thought of taking part and wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I was afraid I’d be the only man or be judged as the tallest in the room. Yet it wasn’t like that at all.

“After a few weeks, we really started to understand who we were as weight-lossers. Once we figured that out, everything fell into place.’