Older women in the UK could be due payments as a result of historical Department for Work and Pensions errors. This issue mainly affects women who claimed Child Benefit before the year 2000 and whose National Insurance number was not properly linked to their claim.

As reported by the Daily Record, historical mistakes relating to Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) continue to represent the majority of State Pension underpayments resulting from National Insurance (NI) record issues, according to recent statistics released by the DWP. The latest Fraud and Error in the Benefit System report for the financial year ending 2026 discovered National Insurance contribution errors remained the primary cause for State Pension underpayments.

The report noted the “main error” within this category continued to concern the historic recording of HRP, with such cases representing “£6 in every £10 underpaid due to Contributions”.

State Pension underpayments remained at 0.3 per cent (£390 million) in the year to April 2026, largely unchanged from £430m in the preceding year. The DWP confirmed NI contributions errors stayed at 0.1 per cent of total State Pension expenditure.

HRP was a programme established to safeguard the State Pension entitlement of parents and carers between 1978 and 2010. It lowered the number of qualifying years required to obtain a full Basic State Pension while individuals were away from employment caring for children or disabled people.

However, certain qualifying years were not accurately recorded on National Insurance records, affecting State Pension entitlements for a number of individuals. The problem predominantly impacts women who claimed Child Benefit prior to May 2000 and whose National Insurance number was not correctly linked to their application.

The DWP stated: “Some people have not had all eligible years of HRP recorded on their National Insurance records and so have an incomplete record affecting their State Pension entitlement.”

The report further confirmed that the DWP and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are pressing ahead with the Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) correction exercise to identify those potentially affected, rectify records and issue arrears payments alongside revised ongoing State Pension payments.

HMRC has dispatched more than 370,000 letters – predominantly to women – urging recipients to verify their State Pension payments, as they may be receiving less than their rightful entitlement.

HMRC is utilising NI records to identify as many individuals as possible who may have been entitled to HRP between 1978 and 2010 but have no HRP reflected on their NI record.

The DWP confirmed that the proportion of State Pension claims that were underpaid remained at five in every 100 claims throughout the financial year ending 2026.

Overall State Pension expenditure climbed to £146.1 billion in the year ending April 2026, rising from £136.4bn the previous year. Those who believe they may have missing National Insurance contributions related to HRP are encouraged to review their State Pension forecast and National Insurance history via GOV.UK.

How to use the online HRP tool

You can apply for HRP, for full tax years (6 April to 5 April) between 1978 and 2010, if any of the following were true:

• you were claiming Child Benefit for a child under 16
• you were caring for a child with your partner who claimed Child Benefit instead of you
• you were getting Income Support because you were caring for someone who was sick or disabled
• you were caring for a sick or disabled person who was claiming certain benefits

You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:

• a foster carer
• caring for a friend or family member’s child (‘kinship carer’) in Scotland

Who qualified automatically for HRP

The guidance on GOV.UK explains most people got HRP automatically if they were:

• getting Child Benefit in their name for a child under the age of 16 and they had given the Child Benefit Office their National Insurance number
• getting Income Support and they did not need to register for work because they were caring for someone who was sick or disabled

If your partner claimed Child Benefit instead of you

If you reached State Pension age before April 6, 2008, you cannot transfer HRP.

However, you may be able to transfer HRP from a partner you lived with if they claimed Child Benefit while you both cared for a child under 16 and they do not need the HRP.

They can transfer the HRP to you for any ‘qualifying years’ they have on their National Insurance record between April 1978 and April 2010. This will be converted into National Insurance credits.

Married women or widows

You cannot get HRP for any complete tax year if you were a married woman or a widow and:

• you had chosen to pay reduced rate Class 1 National Insurance contributions as an employee (commonly known as the small stamp)
• you had chosen not to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions when self-employed

If you were caring for a sick or disabled person

You can only claim HRP for the years you spent caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability between April 6, 1978 and April 5, 2002.

You must have spent at least 35 hours a week caring for them and they must have been getting one of the following benefits:

• Attendance Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care
• Constant Attendance Allowance

The benefit must have been paid for 48 weeks of each tax year on or after April 6, 1988 or every week of each tax year before April 6, 1988.

You can still apply if you are over State Pension age. You will not usually be paid any increase in State Pension that may have been due for previous years.

If you were getting Carer’s Allowance

You do not need to apply for HRP if you were getting Carer’s Allowance. You’ll automatically get National Insurance credits and would not usually have needed HRP.

If you were a foster carer or caring for a friend or family member’s child

You have to apply for HRP if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:

• a foster carer
• caring for a friend or family member’s child (‘kinship carer’) in Scotland

All of the following must also be true:

• you were not getting Child Benefit
• you were not in paid work
• you did not earn enough in a tax year for it to count towards the State Pension

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010

Any HRP you had for full tax years before April 6, 2010 was automatically converted into National Insurance credits, if you needed them, up to a maximum of 22 qualifying years.