The State Pension is a regular payment from the government
The State Pension is a regular payment from the government (Image: PA)
Money Saving Expert (MSE) has said a State Pension error could mean some people are due thousands of pounds. If you cared for a child or someone with a long-term disability between 1978 and 2010, you could have incorrect National Insurance gaps that reduce your State Pension.
The State Pension is a regular payment from the government most people can claim when they reach State Pension age. Not everyone gets the same amount, and how much you get depends on your National Insurance record.
The State Pension age will be rising from next year; the age is currently 66 for both men and women. It will gradually increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028 for those born after April 1960.
A transition process is then expected to be completed for everyone by March 2028. The planned change to the official age of retirement has been in legislation since 2014, with a further rise from 67 to 68, which is set to be implemented between 2044 and 2046.
MSE says there are more than 100,000 people thought to be impacted by the incorrect National Insurance gaps. From 1978 to 2010, the government had a system in place to protect state pension entitlement for those who didn’t earn enough to accrue a state pension through paid work.
This system was called the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), it should have automatically been awarded to those who were claiming Child Benefit. You’ll have received HRP automatically if, between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010, you were claiming:
- Child Benefit for a child under 16
- Income Support because you were looking after a sick or disabled person and were not available for work
HRP reduced the number of years of National Insurance (NI) credits you needed to get a full State Pension. Money Saving Expert states, “If you needed 30 years of NI credits to qualify for the full State Pension but took five years off work in the 1980s to look after your child, HRP should have ensured you’d only need 25 years of NI credits to get the full State Pension amount.”
They add, “More than 100,000 who cared for children ended up with gaps in their NI records that shouldn’t be there. Those affected are already being underpaid State Pension – or could be in the future.”
You’re more likely to be affected by missing Home Responsibilities Protection if the following apply:
- You’re currently aged between 41 and 90, though this issue mainly affects women in their 60s and 70s.AND
- You took time away from paid work to look after a child or a person with a long-term disability or illness at any point between 1978 and 2010.AND
- You claimed Child Benefit or Income Support for the first time before May 2000.OR
- Your partner claimed Child Benefit, but you stayed at home to look after a child or person with a long-term health condition at any point between 1978 and 2010. Before 2000, HRP was only credited to the mother unless she opted to transfer it to her partner.OR
- You didn’t include your National Insurance number on your claim
HMRC sent letters to those likely to be affected by missing Home Responsibilities Protection by the end of June 2025. However, according to HMRC, many people didn’t act on the letter, perhaps thinking it was a scam or that they didn’t need to take action.
You can still claim if you think you’re eligible for HRP, even if you don’t have the letter. You can use the government’s online service.