State Pension Error - HMRC

Rosiebaker34

There is something in the news about how there has been an error on State Pensions mostly affecting women who took time away from work to care for children between 1978 and 2000.

The HMRC are writing to those affected but also mention up to 60,000 are now deceased and that their families can claim any money due.

Who would I need to write to, my mum qualified for state pension at 60, but died 18-months later aged 61. She took time off work to care for me for approx 3 years from 1977. I want to see if there is anything due on behalf of her husband.

molerat

HMRC / DWP are looking on a case by case basis, it is not a simple press a button and the computer spits it out.  There will be a route to claim from April next year.  Why do you think she was not getting the correct pension ?

MattMattMattUK

On the link below is a rough description of the circumstances where this could apply. It does not apply to most pensioners, but there are some who have been underpaid. As Molerat says the ability to claim will begin next year. 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/married-women-missing-state-pension-boost/

Dazed_and_C0nfused

MattMattMattUK said:

On the link below is a rough description of the circumstances where this could apply. It does not apply to most pensioners, but there are some who have been underpaid. As Molerat says the ability to claim will begin next year. 

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/married-women-missing-state-pension-boost/

Three of the four categories have been known about for some time now and DWP issue regular reports about the progress they are making.

The new one, relating to Home Responsibilities Protection, doesn't seem to have corresponding figures published yet.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pension-underpayments-progress-on-cases-reviewed-to-29-february-2024

Oscarboy101

I had a 20 year (yes 20 years!) ongoing battle with HMRC and DWP. They claimed I wasn't entitled to HRP for the 15 missing years on my NI record as I hadn't claimed child benefit - I have 4 children and claimed child benefit for each child from 1985 - 2010. After over 20 years of complaining including the HMRC telling me again earlier this year that I wasn’t  entitled and it was becoming a vexatious complaint,  and 10  day's after my last phone call with them, I got a letter saying I had been awarded HRP for the missing years. No apology- nothing. As I am very close to retirement and thinking I wasn't going to get full state pension, we  made the decision earlier this yearmove to a cheaper part if the country. How on earth can they get away with this? 

p00hsticks

Rosiebaker34 said:

Who would I need to write to, my mum qualified for state pension at 60, but died 18-months later aged 61. She took time off work to care for me for approx 3 years from 1977. I want to see if there is anything due on behalf of her husband.

I suspect that with those figures - potentially three NI missing years (one earlier than that introduction of HRP)  and only 18 months state pension - any sum involved is not likely to be significant. 

sheramber

Rosiebaker34 said:

There is something in the news about how there has been an error on State Pensions mostly affecting women who took time away from work to care for children between 1978 and 2000.

The HMRC are writing to those affected but also mention up to 60,000 are now deceased and that their families can claim any money due.

Who would I need to write to, my mum qualified for state pension at 60, but died 18-months later aged 61. She took time off work to care for me for approx 3 years from 1977. I want to see if there is anything due on behalf of her husband.

It is possible your mother was given Home Responsibility when her state pension was calculated.
I was given it when mine was calculated in 2006. I did not need to claim it.

Robbie64

The effect of Home Responsibilty Protection was to reduce the amount of qualifying years needed for a pension at 100%, 99% etc. If someone had paid enough years via NI contributions to qualify for a full state pension then it didn't matter whether HRP had been applied as the pension couldn't be any higher.

I'm almost certain that at one time HRP had to be claimed rather than given automatically and that was later rectified by being applied automatically. Possibly it had to be claimed in the early days? It was introduced in 1978 when the current scheme of Child Benefit was in the process of being phased in, to replace Family Allowance.