Tens of thousands of people in the UK may be eligible for up to £5,000 in backdated State Pension payments, linked to missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) records covering the years between 1978 and 2010.
This issue relates to potential gaps in pension credits, which were meant to safeguard entitlements for parents and carers during periods out of paid work.
According to DevonLive, HMRC has begun contacting individuals it believes may have been affected, although many could remain unaware due to missing or incomplete data. The government is urging people to review their National Insurance history to ensure no entitlements have been overlooked.
Large-Scale Pension Underpayments Revealed
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates that between £300 million and £1.5 billion in State Pension entitlements have been underpaid.
This stems from errors in recording HRP, a system which existed from 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2010, and was meant to protect the National Insurance (NI) records of parents and carers. HRP was replaced by NI credits starting 6 April 2010.
According to the Permanent Secretary, Peter Schofield, more than £700 million has already been repaid, and efforts to identify and compensate those affected are ongoing, though hindered by limited data.
A spokesperson for Robson Laidler explained:
It is estimated tens of thousands of people are due an average of £5,000 in back payments. HMRC and DWP are also conducting a wider campaign to ensure that everyone who may be eligible is aware of the corrections exercise.
Who Could Be Missing HRP Credits
Those most likely to be affected are people who claimed Child Benefit before May 2000, when it was not mandatory to provide a National Insurance number. This often resulted in missing HRP credits, even if the claimant was eligible. Affected groups include:
- individuals who shared childcare duties while their partner received Child Benefit
- caregivers for a sick or disabled person
- foster carers and kinship carers in Scotland, particularly between 2003 and 2010
If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010, HRP credits for full years before that date should have been automatically converted into NI credits, up to a limit of 22 qualifying years. Still, incorrect or missing records remain a possibility.
The Problem With Deleted Records
Due to HMRC’s policy of deleting Child Benefit claims after five years, there is no definitive list of affected individuals. HMRC is contacting people based on the data that remains. As the department itself admits, some eligible individuals may never receive a letter.
As HMRC explained:
HMRC will send you a letter if we think you may have missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP).
We want to help you make sure you receive the right amount of State Pension, so we’re asking you to check if you were eligible for HRP between 1978 and 2010. You may have been eligible if you received Child Benefit for a child under 16.
The letter will tell you how you can check if you’re eligible to claim missing Home Responsibilities Protection and how to make a claim.
How to Check and Claim
People can and should check their National Insurance record to ensure it accurately reflects their entitlements. The official form to submit for missing HRP is CF411, and the online system also provides a way to proceed even if key information is missing—users can select “Do not know” and will be guided accordingly.
There is no time limit for applying for missing HRP, even if several decades have passed since the qualifying period.
A spokesperson for Robson Laidler added:
We would therefore advise checking your own NI records rather than waiting for a letter from DWP/HMRC to arrive. There is no time limit for applying for HRP if it has not been awarded.
Anyone who may have claimed Child Benefit before May 2000, when it was not mandatory to provide your National Insurance Number on your claim, may not have the correct number of years for State Pension purposes on their NI record. If you first made a claim after May 2000, you will not be affected.
Government Urging Action
The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury issued a clear call for action:
The State Pension is the foundation of state support for people in retirement. We are urging people to check their National Insurance records to make sure they will receive the pension they deserve.
Despite the challenges posed by historical administrative practices and data loss, eligible individuals still have the opportunity to correct their records and secure the full pension they are entitled to.
