If you took time off work to raise children between 1978 and 2010, you might be missing National Insurance (NI) credits. And that could mean you are being underpaid your state pension.
Recent media coverage has highlighted warnings from Martin Lewis about a long-running administrative issue linked to something called Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP).
For some people, the sums involved are significant. One woman reportedly received more than £31,000 in back payments after her pension was corrected.
Here’s what you need to know, and how to check if you could be affected.
What is home responsibilities protection?
Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was introduced in 1978. Its purpose was simple: to protect the state pension rights of people (mainly women) who took time out of paid work to care for children or someone with a long-term disability.
Between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010, you should have received HRP automatically if you:
- Received Child Benefit for a child under 16, or
- Received Income Support while caring for someone who was sick or disabled.
HRP effectively reduced the number of qualifying NI years you needed for a full basic state pension. In 2010, it was replaced by National Insurance credits under the newer system.
However, in some cases, HRP was not properly recorded on individuals’ NI records.
Who could be affected?
The issue is thought to affect tens of thousands of people now in their 60s and 70s, although it can impact anyone who took qualifying time out between 1978 and 2010.
You may want to check if:
- You claimed Child Benefit before 2000
- You took extended time off work to raise children
- You cared for someone with long-term health needs
- Your state pension seems lower than you expected.
Importantly, while the government has previously written to some people it believes may be affected, not everyone who is eligible will necessarily have been contacted.
How much could this be worth?
In some cases, people have received lump sums covering years of underpayment, alongside an increase in their ongoing weekly pension.
The amount received depends on:
- How many qualifying years were missing
- Whether your pension has already started
- How long you have been underpaid.
While headlines mention figures of around £5,000, some cases have reportedly involved much larger sums. Every situation is different, so it is worth checking rather than assuming.
In total, the DWP owes somewhere between £300 million and £1.5 billion to pensioners.
How to check if you are missing credits
If you are concerned, the first step is to check your state pension forecast and your National Insurance record.
You can:
- Log in to your personal tax account via GOV.UK to view your NI record
- Look for gaps between 1978 and 2010
- Check whether those gaps relate to years when you were caring for children or someone disabled
If you believe HRP should have applied but is missing, you can apply for it to be added to your record. There is an online process, and you can also apply by post using form CF411.
If HMRC agrees that you were eligible, your NI record will be corrected and your pension entitlement recalculated. Any arrears owed should then be paid.
Why this matters
State pension rules are complex. Many people assume that if they are receiving payments, they must be correct. But as this issue shows, administrative errors can have long-term consequences.
If you took time out of paid work to raise children, you did not “lose” those years. The system was designed to protect you. If that protection was not applied properly, you are entitled to ask for it to be put right.
If you have family members – particularly older relatives – who raised children in the 1980s, 1990s or early 2000s, it may be worth encouraging them to check too.
A quick review of your NI record could make a meaningful difference to your retirement income.
