HRP missing from NI record

VELOVIPER

My wife retired on the old state pension at the age of 60 years old. It’s recently been reported on the Martin Lewis website about Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) should have been transferred to your NI record if you had children between 1978 and 2010. We have looked at her Government Gateway and it says “Year is not full” for these years, even though she was receiving child benefit within this period. As such, we contacted Department of Works and Pensions via their website and they sent back almost 6 months later with a letter stating that she already has HRP on her NI record for these Tax years. This is not correct!!! My wife divorced her first husband and I can only assume that these credit were added to her ex-husbands NI record, even though he had his own business and was in full time employment. Could this be the case and how can this error be rectified, bearing in mind that she cannot contact him for any help? 

p00hsticks

So when did she reach State Pension age ? 
If it was prior to 6th April 2010 as that letter suggests, then HRP was awarded by reducing the number of years used in the calculation of her State Pension amount, not by filling the years in question on her NI record. The letter explains this under the  'HRP and the State Pension Age' heading. 

For those reaching SPA after that date, the HRP was awarded by making the qualifying years full on their records. 

If you can tell us the tax year your wife reached SPA, how many full years show on her record prior to that and what amount of pension she is getting people here can probably tell you whether HRP has been taken into account in the calculation. 

QrizB

VELOVIPER said:

My wife retired on the old state pension at the age of 60 years old.

To retire at age 60, it will have been prior to April 2010 and so @p00hsticks comment above should apply.

VELOVIPER

Thanks for your help, that makes sense!! My calculations were slightly wrong unfortunately!!

I was using the formula (17 years NI + 8 years HRP) divided by 39 years = 25/39 = 0.641 x £176.45 = £113.11

Whereby it should be 17 years NI divided by (39 years less 8 years) = 17/31 = 0.548 x £176.45 = £96.76

However, she now gets 60% of the old state pension, as I'm slightly younger and retired a couple of years ago, so that equates to 0.6 x £176.45 = £105.97

This now puts my mind at rest, even though the 2-tier pension depending on age is totally unfair!!!