Thousands of people may be unaware they are receiving the wrong amount of state pension due to an error in Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) records. The average underpayment is estimated at £8,377, but some could be owed even more.
What Is Home Responsibilities Protection?
HRP was a scheme that protected your National Insurance (NI) record if you took time off work between 1978 and 2010 to care for children or a sick or disabled person. It was replaced by NI credits in 2010. People received HRP automatically if they claimed Child Benefit for a child under 16 or Income Support for caring. However, the system failed to accurately record credits for some claimants after the shift to NI, leading to incorrect state pension payments.
How to Check If You Are Affected
Check your NI record online or through the free HMRC app to see if there are gaps in the years you were caring. To receive the full new state pension, most people need around 35 NI contributions.
Claiming Missing HRP Credits
The quickest way to claim is through the Government's website by completing form CF411. You can also call the National Insurance helpline on 0300 200 3500. Once approved, credits can be added retroactively, which may increase your state pension or trigger a backdated payment.
HMRC Backlog
HMRC has written to 300,000 people it knows are affected, but around 194,000 remain lost in the system. There is a backlog, and some people have been waiting months for a response. HMRC says it has deployed extra staff to tackle the issue.
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