State pensioners are being urged to take action as savers are owed £8,000. More than £104 million has been repaid so far, with an average payout of £8,377, with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state pensioners told to act.

Data shows, between January 8, 2024, and March 31, 2025, a joint State Pension correction exercise with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) uncovered 12,379 underpayments to women whose National Insurance (NI) records were wrong.

HRP was a scheme to help protect parents’ and carers’ entitlement to State Pension. National Insurance credits replaced HRP from 6 April 2010. The DWP and HMRC are working together to find people affected and correct their records so they receive the correct amount of State Pension.

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The amount of State Pension someone gets is based on their National Insurance record and the number of ‘qualifying years’ they have.

If someone claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 and did not provide their National Insurance Number on the claim, their National Insurance record may not show the correct number of qualifying years of HRP. This may affect their State Pension entitlement. Women in their 60s and 70s are most likely to be affected.

If someone first claimed Child Benefit after May 2000, they will not be affected do not need to contact HMRC. This is because it became mandatory in May 2000 to provide a National Insurance Number for Child Benefit claims.

Class 3 National Insurance credits for parents and carers (CPC) available from 6 April 2010 have been recorded correctly, as have partial periods of HRP.

So far, more than £104 million has been paid back, with affected savers getting an average of £8,377, according to the Daily Record.

Retirement expert Helen Morrissey is now urging older people to check their records and contact the Pension Service if they think they might be affected.

She said: “The State Pension system has become so confusing that even when the UK Government has communicated with those who may have a claim, the complexity and jargon has put many of them off. This means many thousands are getting less than they are entitled to.”