Finance expert Martin Lewis has issued a strong warning about a long standing error that could have left thousands of UK women underpaid on their state pensions. The issue links to the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) scheme. It was designed to protect the pensions of those mostly women who took time off work to care for children.
From 1978 to 2010, people receiving Child Benefit should have received HRP credits to protect their National Insurance (NI) records. But in many cases, especially before 2000, officials failed to properly record NI numbers. As a result, many women missed out on credits, which reduced their pension amounts later in life.
Lewis stated that around 100,000 women, most now in their 60s or 70s, could still be affected. Some may be owed thousands of pounds. So far, the government has identified over 119,000 cases and paid out more than £735 million. However, experts believe many people still don’t know they’re eligible.
Lewis urged people not to ignore letters from HMRC about this issue. He warned that missing out on these notices could mean losing life changing sums, with some back payments worth over £10,000.
Anyone who received Child Benefit during the affected years should check their NI records and state pension forecast using government services. Families of deceased people who might have qualified can also ask about possible claims.
HMRC is now inviting people to apply for a correction. They can do this online or by using the CF411 paper form. The review process will continue until March 2027. People must submit all supporting documents before then to ensure their claims are reviewed.
