More than 12,000 individuals across the UK may be entitled to backpayments of up to £8,000 each after a long-standing administrative oversight by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) related to the state pension payment system.
At the heart of the issue lies the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) scheme, a policy originally designed to support those who temporarily left the workforce to care for children.
The Manchester Evening News reports that the error remained undetected for decades, affecting pension entitlements without public awareness. Official figures now place the total value of these underpayments at approximately £104 million.
Underpayments Linked to Home Responsibilities Protection Scheme
A detailed review by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) identified 12,379 cases of underpaid State Pension benefits. The issue is linked to missing HRP credits — a scheme that ran from 1986 to 2010 and was designed to support individuals, mostly women, who took time away from work to raise children or provide care.
These credits were intended to reduce the number of National Insurance (NI) qualifying years needed for a full pension. In numerous cases, HRP was never properly recorded, resulting in lower lifetime pension payments for thousands of eligible individuals.
Women Who Raised Children in the 1980s and 1990s Most Affected
The majority of those impacted are women who gave birth in the 1980s and 1990s, and who are now entitled to substantial arrears. In some instances, the payments owed amount to £8,000 per person.
Since identifying the issue, HMRC began contacting affected individuals in 2023, launching a large-scale letter campaign that has so far resulted in over 370,000 letters sent.
Some of the underpaid claimants may no longer be alive. HMRC confirmed in a public statement:
Some customers affected by missing HRP may now have died.
Their representative, or next of kin, will be entitled to check their eligibility and make a claim, using the same process as a living claimant. This may result in the payment of State Pension arrears.
The process allows families to recover unpaid sums on behalf of deceased relatives, provided they meet eligibility requirements.
Official Guidance and Eligibility Check Process
To help individuals determine if they are affected, the government has issued detailed instructions. According to the DWP:
You must first check your NI record online to see if you have any gaps in tax years 1978 to 2010. If you have any gaps, read the guidance available on GOV.UK and use the online tool to check if you are eligible to apply for HRP.
This online service is designed to identify missing HRP years and guide claimants through the application process.
Not all individuals contacted will receive additional pension payments.
In certain cases, the claimant may already have enough qualifying years for a full state pension, may receive a higher pension amount through an inherited benefit, or may not meet all the conditions for state pension eligibility.
These outcomes are reviewed on a case-by-case basis during the claims process.
