Historical errors linked to Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) continue to account for the majority of State Pension underpayments caused by National Insurance (NI) record issues, according to recent figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
State Pension Underpayment Statistics
The latest Fraud and Error in the Benefit System report for the financial year ending 2026 found National Insurance contribution errors remained the biggest reason for State Pension underpayments. The report stated the “main error” within this category continued to relate to the historic recording of HRP, with these cases accounting for “£6 in every £10 underpaid due to Contributions”.
State Pension underpayments remained at 0.3 per cent (£390 million) in the year to April 2026, broadly unchanged from £430m in the previous year. The DWP said NI contributions errors remained at 0.1 per cent of total State Pension expenditure.
What Is Home Responsibilities Protection?
HRP was a scheme designed to protect the State Pension entitlement of parents and carers between 1978 and 2010. It reduced the number of qualifying years someone needed to receive a full Basic State Pension while they were out of work caring for children or disabled people. However, some eligible years were not correctly recorded on National Insurance records, affecting State Pension entitlement for some people.
The issue mainly affects women who claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 and whose National Insurance number was not properly linked to their claim. The DWP said: “Some people have not had all eligible years of HRP recorded on their National Insurance records and so have an incomplete record affecting their State Pension entitlement.”
Correction Exercise Underway
The report also confirmed the DWP and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are continuing the Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) correction exercise to identify potentially affected people, correct records and issue arrears payments alongside revised ongoing State Pension payments. 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.
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. The DWP said the proportion of State Pension claims underpaid remained at five in every 100 claims during the financial year ending 2026. Overall State Pension spending rose to £146.1 billion in the year ending April 2026, up from £136.4bn the previous year.
Who Can Apply for HRP?
People who think they may have gaps in their National Insurance record linked to HRP can check their State Pension forecast and National Insurance history through GOV.UK. You can apply for HRP for full tax years between 1978 and 2010 if any of the following were true: you were claiming Child Benefit for a child under 16; you were caring for a child with your partner who claimed Child Benefit instead of you; you were getting Income Support because you were caring for someone who was sick or disabled; or you were caring for a sick or disabled person who was claiming certain benefits.
You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either a foster carer or a kinship carer in Scotland. Most people got HRP automatically if they were getting Child Benefit in their name for a child under 16 and had given the Child Benefit Office their National Insurance number, or if they were getting Income Support and did not need to register for work because they were caring for someone sick or disabled.
Special Cases and Limitations
If you reached State Pension age before April 6, 2008, you cannot transfer HRP. 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. Married women or widows cannot get HRP if they had chosen to pay reduced rate Class 1 NI contributions or had chosen not to pay Class 2 NI contributions when self-employed.
If you were caring for a sick or disabled person, you can only claim HRP for years between April 6, 1978 and April 5, 2002, provided you spent at least 35 hours a week caring and the cared-for person was getting Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care, or Constant Attendance Allowance. If you were getting Carer's Allowance, you do not need to apply for HRP as you automatically get NI credits.
