The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is writing to 370,000 state pensioners who may be receiving less than their full entitlement due to historical errors in National Insurance records. These errors, primarily involving Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), have resulted in £390 million in underpayments by April 2026, according to the DWP's latest Fraud and Error in the Benefit System report.
HRP Errors Account for Majority of Underpayments
HRP errors make up 60% of underpayments in National Insurance contribution records. National Insurance records are used to determine state pension eligibility and payment amounts. Women are disproportionately affected, particularly those who claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 without having their National Insurance number correctly linked to their claims. The average back payment for affected individuals is £7,589.
HMRC Issues Letters to Eligible Pensioners
HMRC began sending letters after the DWP discovered that some state pension payments were incorrectly calculated due to missing HRP between 1978 and 2010. The DWP and HMRC's Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) initiative identified those with missing HRP on their records and is urging them to claim.
How to Claim Missing HRP
Eligible individuals do not receive the money automatically; they must apply via gov.uk. So far, 493,000 people have used the online tool to check for missing HRP, and those eligible will receive payment by the end of 2025. However, 370,000 are still being urged to claim. By the end of September, HMRC had processed 37,289 applications from pensioners and 5,428 from those near pension age, issuing £42 million in payments.
DWP Explains HRP Eligibility
According to the DWP: “Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) reduced the number of qualifying years you needed to get the full basic State Pension by up to 22 years. To get a full basic State Pension a woman needed 39 qualifying years and a man 44 qualifying years. You may have been entitled to Additional State Pension if you qualified for HRP because you: got Child Benefit for a child under the age of 6, were looking after a sick or disabled person (including a child over the age of 6) who was getting certain benefits.” The DWP advises that to claim HRP, individuals can apply online or by post, and can also transfer HRP from someone else.
