Older women in the UK could be due State Pension back payments as a result of historical Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) errors, primarily affecting those who claimed Child Benefit before the year 2000 and whose National Insurance number was not properly linked to their claim.
HRP Errors Drive Underpayments
Historical mistakes relating to Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) continue to represent the majority of State Pension underpayments resulting from National Insurance (NI) record issues, according to recent statistics released by the DWP. The latest Fraud and Error in the Benefit System report for the financial year ending 2026 found that National Insurance contribution errors remained the primary cause for State Pension underpayments.
The report noted the "main error" within this category concerned the historic recording of HRP, with such cases representing "£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, largely unchanged from £430 million in the preceding year. The DWP confirmed NI contributions errors stayed at 0.1 per cent of total State Pension expenditure.
What Is Home Responsibilities Protection?
HRP was a programme established to safeguard the State Pension entitlement of parents and carers between 1978 and 2010. It lowered the number of qualifying years required to obtain a full Basic State Pension while individuals were away from employment caring for children or disabled people. However, certain qualifying years were not accurately recorded on National Insurance records, affecting State Pension entitlements for a number of individuals.
The problem predominantly impacts women who claimed Child Benefit prior to May 2000 and whose National Insurance number was not correctly linked to their application. The DWP stated: "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 DWP and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are pressing ahead with the Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) correction exercise to identify those potentially affected, rectify records and issue arrears payments alongside revised ongoing State Pension payments. HMRC has dispatched more than 370,000 letters - predominantly to women - urging recipients to verify their State Pension payments, as they may be receiving less than their rightful entitlement.
HMRC is utilising NI records to identify as many individuals as possible who may have been entitled to HRP between 1978 and 2010 but have no HRP reflected on their NI record. The DWP confirmed that the proportion of State Pension claims that were underpaid remained at five in every 100 claims throughout the financial year ending 2026. Overall State Pension expenditure climbed to £146.1 billion in the year ending April 2026, rising from £136.4 billion the previous year.
How to Check Your Entitlement
Those who believe they may have missing National Insurance contributions related to HRP are encouraged to review their State Pension forecast and National Insurance history via GOV.UK. You can apply for HRP for full tax years (6 April to 5 April) 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 caring for a friend or family member's child ('kinship carer') in Scotland.
Automatic Qualification and Special Cases
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 getting Income Support and did not need to register for work because they were caring for someone sick or disabled. If your partner claimed Child Benefit instead of you and 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 for any complete tax year if they had chosen to pay reduced rate Class 1 National Insurance contributions as an employee (the small stamp) or chosen not to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions when self-employed. If you were caring for a sick or disabled person, you can only claim HRP for years spent caring 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 National Insurance credits. Foster carers or kinship carers in Scotland must apply for HRP if they were not getting Child Benefit, not in paid work, and did not earn enough for the tax year to count towards the State Pension. A full overview of HRP can be found on GOV.UK.
