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Pension Credit \u2013 Could you or someone you know be eligible?<\/p>\nThe DWP has published a new update on historical State Pension errors due to missing Home Responsibilities Protection.<\/p>\n
14:02, 22 May 2025Updated 11:08, 23 May 2025<\/p>\n
Pension Credit \u2013 Could you or someone you know be eligible?<\/p>\n
The Department for Work and Pensions<\/a> (DWP) has published a new update on the progress of the joint State Pensions corrections exercise with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The new data shows that HMRC has sent out more than 370,000 letters – mostly to women – urging them to check their State Pension payments as they may be lower than they are entitled to.<\/p>\n Between January 8, 2024 and March 31, 2025, the exercise has identified 12,379 State Pension<\/a> underpayments and issued total arrears of around \u00a3104 million, with an average payment of \u00a38,377.<\/p>\n The new data also indicates that 8,639 applications<\/a> have been processed for those under State Pension age and 44,296 for people over the age of 66.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Pensioners in Scotland to get winter heating payment of up to \u00a3305 by specific date this year<\/a>READ MORE: Pensioners can claim two benefits which boost annual income by over \u00a310,000 this year<\/a><\/p>\n In 2022, the DWP became aware of a number of State Pension cases where it appeared that historic periods of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) were missing, leading to inaccurate State Pension payments.<\/p>\n Investigations revealed that this issue applied to the National Insurance records, administered by HMRC, of some people both below and above State Pension age.<\/p>\n DWP and HMRC set up a Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) corrections exercise to identify and invite potentially affected people to apply, correct their records, and make both arrears and ongoing revised State Pension payments.<\/p>\n The new publication also states that people can continue to apply to HMRC to have missing HRP added to their National Insurance.<\/p>\n DWP has also previously said that those closest to the State Pension age in their 60\u2019s and 70s were the first to receive letters. However, anyone who thinks they may have been affected can check their eligibility online using the self-identification tool on GOV.UK here.<\/a><\/p>\n DWP said that around 2,000 people per month are using the online HRP eligibility checker.<\/p>\n Anyone impacted by historical errors is due to receive any back payments and see their State Pension corrected by the end of this year.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to be aware that not all cases processed by DWP have an underpayment. Cases may already have the qualifying years for a full State Pension, may already receive a higher State Pension inherited from their spouse, or may still not be entitled to State Pension as all conditions not met.<\/p>\n Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) underpayments in a nutshell<\/p>\n HRP was a scheme designed to help protect parents\u2019 and carers\u2019 entitlement to the State Pension and was replaced by NI credits from April 6, 2010. HMRC is using NI records to identify as many people as possible who might have been entitled to HRP between 1978 and 2010 and have no HRP on their NI record.<\/p>\n After May 2000, it became mandatory to include a NI number on claims so people claiming after <\/strong>this point will not have been affected.<\/p>\n Before you start the online HRP check online<\/p>\n You will be asked if you have gaps in your National Insurance record. If you cannot find your National Insurance record online or do not know the answers to any of the questions, you can choose \u2018Do not know\u2019 and you\u2019ll be told how to get this information.<\/p>\n You may still be able to apply for HRP, for full tax years (6 April to 5 April) between 1978 and 2010, if any of the following were true:<\/p>\n You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:<\/strong><\/p>\n Who qualified automatically for HRP<\/p>\n The guidance on GOV.UK<\/a> explains that most people got HRP automatically if they were:<\/p>\n If your partner claimed Child Benefit instead of you<\/p>\n If you reached State Pension age before April 6, 2008, you cannot transfer HRP.<\/p>\n However, you may be able to transfer HRP from a partner you lived with if they claimed Child Benefit while you both cared for a child under 16 and they do not need the HRP.<\/p>\n They can transfer the HRP to you for any \u2018qualifying years\u2019 they have on their National Insurance record between April 1978 and April 2010. This will be converted into National Insurance credits.<\/p>\n Married women or widows<\/p>\n You cannot get HRP for any complete tax year if you were a married woman or a widow and:<\/p>\n If you were caring for a sick or disabled person<\/p>\n You can only claim HRP for the years you spent caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability between April 6, 1978 and April 5, 2002.<\/p>\n You must have spent at least 35 hours a week caring for them and they must have been getting one of the following benefits:<\/p>\n The benefit must have been paid for 48 weeks of each tax year on or after April 6, 1988 or every week of each tax year before April 6, 1988.<\/p>\n You can still apply if you are over State Pension age. You will not usually be paid any increase in State Pension that may have been due for previous years.<\/p>\n If you were getting Carer\u2019s Allowance<\/p>\n You do not need to apply for HRP if you were getting Carer\u2019s Allowance. You\u2019ll automatically get National Insurance credits and would not usually have needed HRP.<\/p>\n If you were a foster carer or caring for a friend or family member\u2019s child<\/p>\n You have to apply for HRP if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:<\/p>\n All of the following must also be true:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010<\/p>\n Any HRP you had for full tax years before April 6, 2010 was automatically converted into National Insurance credits, if you needed them, up to a maximum of 22 qualifying years.<\/p>\n A full overview of HRP can be found on GOV.UK here.<\/a><\/p>\n Join the conversation on our Money Saving Scotland Facebook group<\/a> for money-saving tips, the latest State Pension and benefits news, energy bill advice and cost of living updates.<\/p>\n Sign up to our Record Money newsletter and get the top stories sent to your inbox daily from Monday to Friday with a special cost of living edition every Thursday – sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can also follow us on X<\/strong> (formerly Twitter) @Recordmoney_<\/a> for regular updates throughout the day or get money news alerts on your phone by joining our Daily Record Money WhatsApp community<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5_Screen-Shot-2021-07-21-at-070155.png\")
The DWP has published a new update on historical State Pension errors due to missing Home Responsibilities Protection.(Image: Getty )How to use the online HRP tool<\/p>\n\n
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