HMRC recently revealed it has stopped sending letters to individuals potentially affected by state pension underpayments due to missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) from their National Insurance (NI) records.
The tax authority had previously contacted over 370,000 people who may have been shortchanged, with an estimated backpay of £8,377 per person as of March 2025. These payments are linked to periods where individuals were caring for children or those with disabilities, and had their NI contributions omitted.
HMRC launched an online tool to help people verify if they are eligible for compensation. According to Devonlive, the authority has been quiet about the specific impact of this issue on people’s payments.
The Issue at Hand: Missing Hrp and Its Impact on State Pensions
Many individuals, especially women who took career breaks to care for children, have found their NI records missing HRP, leading to reduced state pension payments. This has caused a financial shortfall for some, with typical backpay claims amounting to £8,377 as of March 2025. This figure is based on records of those already contacted by HMRC, providing an estimate of the outstanding payments.
HMRC has sent letters to more than 370,000 people potentially affected by this issue, a larger number than the previously indicated 350,000. An online tool has been introduced to help individuals determine whether they are due payments, and HMRC continues to encourage people to check their National Insurance records.
Next Steps for Affected Individuals
If an individual’s HRP is missing, they can apply for it to be added to their NI record through the government’s website. Once HRP is added, HMRC will assess the number of years that should be included in the individual’s record, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will adjust the person’s state pension eligibility accordingly.
If someone disagrees with the decision, they can contact HMRC if the dispute concerns the number of years added to their record. However, any dispute regarding their pension entitlement should be addressed to DWP.
Martin Lewis’s Call to Action
Martin Lewis, the founder of Money Saving Expert, has actively encouraged the public to check whether they are eligible for these payments. His call to action comes after HMRC stopped sending letters about the issue, urging individuals to take charge of their own records and use the online tool to verify their eligibility.
A Government representative said:
We’re determined to help people who’ve been left out of pocket due to historical errors which are no fault of their own. That’s why we wrote to more than 370,000 people potentially affected, and launched an online tool to help people check if they can claim. We ran an extensive campaign to raise awareness of the issue and will continue regular communications to get people to check their National Insurance record.
The group explained:
If someone has a period of HRP added as a result of an application, first HMRC will determine the number of years of National Insurance that should be added to their record. DWP will then apply this to the individual’s state pension eligibility and determine what impact (if any) it will have on their state pension payments.
What Is Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP)?
The HRP program, which operated between 1978 and 2010, aimed to ensure that individuals who took time off work to care for children or someone who was ill or disabled still had their National Insurance contributions recorded, thus protecting their state pension entitlement.
It primarily impacts women who took career breaks to raise children, though anyone who took time off for caring responsibilities during this period could also be affected.
If you believe your HRP is missing, you can apply for it to be added to your record on the Government website. HMRC will review your record and, if necessary, add the relevant contributions to ensure that your pension entitlement is correct.
