.svg)
Thousands of people across the UK who took time away from work to care for children or loved ones between 1978 and 2010 could still be missing out on thousands of pounds in State Pension payments due to historical National Insurance record errors.
Experts are urging pensioners not to wait for a government letter, warning that many eligible people may never be contacted.
According to official HMRC figures, the average payment made to affected individuals is £8,377, although some claims have been significantly higher.
Pension reclaim specialist AskRose, which is helping around 100,000 women investigate potential claims, says several of its clients have died before receiving the money they were owed.
The issue relates to the former Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) scheme, which operated from 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2010.
The scheme was designed to protect the State Pension entitlement of people who reduced their working hours or left employment to care for children or someone with a long-term illness or disability.
However, many National Insurance records were not correctly linked to Child Benefit or Family Allowance claims, particularly before 2000 when National Insurance numbers were not always recorded. As a result, thousands of carers did not receive the pension protection they were entitled to.
The government estimates that around 210,000 people may have been affected.
HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have been working together to identify and correct affected cases.
Since September 2023, more than 370,000 letters have been sent to people who may qualify, with priority given to those already above State Pension age.
The government has also made a free online eligibility checker available through GOV.UK, allowing people to review their records and submit an application if necessary.
Successful applicants will have their State Pension recalculated and receive any back payments owed.
Personal finance expert Martin Lewis recently renewed calls for people to check their records, warning that the responsibility now largely falls on individuals rather than the government.
He highlighted one case in which a woman received more than £31,000 in pension back payments after discovering her entitlement had been overlooked for years.
Lewis said many people could be owed "tens of thousands of pounds" if gaps in their National Insurance records resulted from missing Home Responsibilities Protection.
Not everyone who had children during the period qualifies.
People may be eligible if they:
- Took time off work or reduced working hours to care for children or someone with a long-term disability between 1978 and 2010.
- Are receiving the State Pension and have been claiming it for at least one year.
- Have missing Home Responsibilities Protection on their National Insurance record.
If National Insurance contributions were correctly recorded throughout that period, no additional payment would normally be due.
AskRose Director Elaine Walker said delays have had heartbreaking consequences, with some people passing away before their claims were resolved after spending years receiving lower pensions than they should have.
Campaigners are encouraging pensioners and their families to review National Insurance records as soon as possible, as successful claims can result in substantial back payments alongside higher future State Pension payments.
