{"id":126499,"date":"2026-10-06T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=126499"},"modified":"2026-10-06T00:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T23:55:19","slug":"hmrc-pension-check-parents-and-carers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/hmrc-pension-check-parents-and-carers\/","title":{"rendered":"HMRC Pension Check Could Reveal Unexpected Cash for Parents and Carers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Parents and carers who took time away from paid work between 1978 and 2010 are being urged to check their National Insurance records after errors involving Home Responsibilities Protection, or HRP<\/strong>, left some people with missing State Pension entitlement. The issue may affect people who claimed Child Benefit or Income Support while caring for children or someone with a long-term disability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sums involved can be substantial. According to the Birmingham Mail, the Department for Work and Pensions estimated when a correction scheme was launched in 2023 that about \u00a31.2 billion was owed because of missing HRP payments. The problem is thought to have affected mainly women, particularly those now in their 60s and 70s, although the potential age range is wider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Missing HRP Credits Affected Pension Records<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Home Responsibilities Protection operated from 1978 until 2010 and was designed to help parents and carers protect their State Pension entitlement during periods when they were not paying sufficient National Insurance<\/strong> contributions through employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scheme was intended to prevent people who had stepped away from work to care for children or for someone with a long-term disability from losing valuable years from their pension record. In some cases, though, those protections were not properly recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A particular problem arose around Child Benefit<\/a> <\/strong>claims. The Birmingham Mail reports that people making a claim after 2000 needed to include their National Insurance number on the application form for their eligibility for HRP to be recorded correctly. Some claimants were unaware of that requirement, leaving gaps in their records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin Lewis<\/strong> has said those most likely to be affected are women aged between 41 and 90, with the issue especially common among women in their 60s and 70s. According to Lewis, it could also affect anyone within that age range who took time away from paid employment to care for a child or a person with a long-term disability between 1978 and 2010. He highlighted people who first claimed Child Benefit or Income Support before May 2000 as another group who should examine their records carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) errors mean some who cared for a child or someone with a long-term disability between 1978 and 2010 could have incorrect National Insurance gaps that reduce their State Pension!

Here's full info to check and claim: https:\/\/t.co\/IRu1csa7vZ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/fTmAkvXlTn<\/a><\/p>— MoneySavingExpert (@MoneySavingExp) August 14, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>