Are You Qualified For The State Pension Error Payout? You Could Be Eligible for Up to £10,000 — Here's How

An official correction programme is underway to repay missed pension entitlements worth up to £10,000, following historic errors affecting women and over-80s. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are reviewing National Insurance (NI) records going back to 1978.

The move follows the discovery that Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) credits were not properly recorded for some parents and carers. The issue has led to underpayments for more than 300,000 people, with repayments already exceeding £735 million. The full review is expected to continue until 2027.

What Caused the Errors

HRP was introduced to safeguard pension entitlement for those who spent time caring for children or dependants instead of working. However, incomplete processes meant that some parents who claimed Child Benefit were denied HRP credits due to missing NI numbers, according to The Sun.

As a result, many individuals may have received lower state pension payments than they were entitled to. Almost £1 billion has already been repaid by the government, with average back payments reported to be £7,859. Some individuals have received sums exceeding £10,000. The DWP and HMRC aim to complete the correction process by March 2027, according to Pensions Age Magazine.

Who Is Affected?

The groups most likely to be affected include parents and carers who claimed Child Benefit between 1978 and 2010 but failed to provide their NI number, meaning their Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) credits may not have been properly recorded. Married, divorced or widowed women who reached state pension age before April 2016 are also at risk of underpayment, particularly if they were entitled to 60 per cent of their husband's basic state pension or if their late spouse had higher entitlements.

In addition, individuals over the age of 80 who receive less than £85 a week in state pension may be eligible for Category D pensions, a non-contributory benefit, and some of these cases have resulted in arrears worth more than £10,000, according to Rosie Hamilton of Money Saving Expert.

How to Check and Claim

Those who believe they may be affected are advised to check their State Pension statement and National Insurance record by visiting GOV.UK or contacting the Future Pension Centre. Letters titled 'You may be eligible for Home Responsibilities Protection' are also being issued to potentially impacted individuals.

Claims for missing HRP credits can be submitted using form CF411 via HMRC. The Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469 is available to assist with queries. Payments are typically issued as lump sums and are not subject to income tax.

Not all eligible claimants will be contacted automatically, so it is important to check records proactively. For those impacted by caregiving responsibilities, past marital status, or advanced age, the repayments may offer long-overdue recognition of gaps in state support.

Many claimants have already received substantial repayments, but others could still be eligible. For those who spent time caring for others, were married or widowed before 2016, or are over 80 with a low pension, it is worth checking their records. Taking action now could secure a tax-free payment that reflects years of unpaid contributions and unrecognised care work.