Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP)

a&akay

HRP started Tax Year 78/79 and you can have maximum of 21 years. My first son was born in Northern Ireland in Jan 78 while I accompanied my husband on Army service. I returned to England in Aug 78. My English record therefore shows me starting HRP in 79/80 thus losing the chance to pay one additional year's Class 3 back contribution to earn a larger state pension. If my son had been born in England my HRP would have started 78/79. I have written, emailed and spoken to relevant NI and Newcastle helpdesks with no resolution. Anyone out there know the small print well enough to challenge the system please?

CIS

Being born in Nortern Ireland and or in England/Scotland/Wales, makes no difference as HRP is concerned, that would not have caused the issue.

I have never heard of this problem in all of the time that I worked with HRP

HRP fry our son could have started on the 6/4/1978 and ran until the 5/4/1993, a maximum of 15ysr for him.

To loose the first year, it sounds like that you either didn't claim Child Benefit until after the 6/4/1978 but before 5/4/1979, you had a MWE election (small stamp) on your account or you where for some reason either not eligible for child benefit or not having it paid in your name.

Missing out on a years HRP would not stop you from paying class 3 voluntary NI for a year, they are two different things.

a&akay

Thanks for reply. I have 4 children taking me into the full 21 years and have never worked. I understand that NI and England have separate databases re National Insurance and therefore Newcastle will presumably be unaware of NI Child Allowance (CA). I can't remember if CA was granted it in NI but assume either hospital or my husband's unit would have registed me for it at the time. Is HRP dependant on CA being granted or will birth certificate be accepted in retrospect if it was not paid it in NI?
Point on Class 3 was that I paid back contributions wef Tax Year 99/00 on the assumption I was granted 21 years' HRP wef 78/79. Newcastle saying HRP was in in effect from 79/80 either loses me this first year's back contribution or the 21st year of HRP. Either would affect my final pension as I do not have enough years left to pay full contributions.

CIS

Northern Irish accounts are held on NIRS (National Insurance Recording System) that hold also UK records.

At one time records in Northern Ireland where held differently, probably pre 1975 when the system changed to computerised, and had a different format NI number (they started with IIRC , HM or BT).

Until about 2002, HRP was resultant only on receipt of Child Bnenefit, it scan now be claimed with serveral different benefits.

I dont know about then, but child benefit now needs to be claimed by the parent only, the hospital wont do it for you., I assume this was always the case but Iam not certain. Registering the birth, which may have been done by his unit does not automatically start a Child Bnenefit claim.

If you need help working out what your pension will be, I was a State Pension Forecast Advisor for 3 1/2 yrs, calculating peoples state pension, and would be happy to help.

Did you contact the specialist HRP section of IR ?, or just a general section.

If you didn't try contacting them on 0191 2135000 and asking to speak to them.

Inland Revenue
National Insurance Contributions Office
Caseworker DM Team
Room H5014
Benton Park View
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE98 1ZZ

a&akay

Many thanks for your advice. I will live in the hope that the NI system was computerised by the time my CA was authorised.

mary

Can't shed much light on your situation.
However, my first child was born Jan 1978 in England and have never worked, being mother of six children. As you get older you begin to worry about pension etc. Over the last seven or eight years, have had many contacts with the Pension Department over HRP.
It is, hopefully and thankfully, now in order and I have had it in writing from them that I am now fully up to date and will expect to receive a full state pension in time to come, as I have since paid Voluntary Contributions for three or four years and now that I am technically Self Employed, I pay the cheaper S.E. contributions.
I had it in writing that the maximum HRP contributions you can get are for 19 years, bringing me from April 1978, when the system began up until April 1997.
I read all the literature I could find, now with the internet it's easier to find and at times I felt I understood the system better than some of the staff!
However, one area where you need a person, rather than a computer doing the work for you, is as follows. When they ask you if you currently have a child and are in receipt of Child Benefit, they then calculate for how much longer you get it and also work backwards from today. In my case my kids range from 27 to 10 in age, so to a degree if you count backwards, you appear to have a shortfall at the front or if you count from the past forwards, you have a gap at the end.

So, good luck, but you're not alone.

CIS

The maximum HRP applied to a record depends on the date of birth, anyone retireing at 65 can have a max of 22yrs HRP.

The idea behind the HRP system is not too complicated, but after so many years its easy for errosr or mistakes to have crept in to people accounts, so it is owrth checking it out.

mary

I was born 1949, and therefore retire technically at 60, as the retirement date changes from 1950 onwards I understand, so that may well explain the variation. Thanks

tanith

Can anyone tell me if HRP is automatically awarded when your State Pension is calculated.. I just applied for a pension forecast and wonder wether it is already in the calculated forecast or do I have to request it to be taken into account?

CIS

HRP is awarded as soon as you are entitled to it and teh forecast takes in to account any you have automatically.

However for your state pension calculation, HRP it is only used if it boosts your record, a qualifying year on record would be given precedent over a year of HRP.

If HRP overlaps with a year that is already a qualifying year, the HRP is noted on your records but the qualifying year is used instead as it benefits you more.

eg.

You need 39 years and have 25 qualifying years and 5 years HRP = 100/34 * 25 = 74% pension

You need 39 years and have 30 qualifying years and 0 years HRP = 100/39 * 30 = 77% pension

tanith

sorry I really am very ignorant of my pension rights... I assume qualifying years are years that I have worked ? I have worked 23yrs roughly and have I think 11yrs HRP so am missing several years can I buy any of those years back?

I am in the middle of Negotiations with my bosses to see whether I can be redeployed to another job or if they will grant me Ill Health Retirement Pension , the lump sum will have to be used to tied me over till my State Pension kicks in ... so not getting a full State Pension will be a real bummer for me .............. as the Occupational Pension is not vast by any stretch of the imagination