State pension update as you could be owed 'weekly uplift' - check if you qualify

State pensioners could get an increase to their entitlement by filling in a simple DWP form. The department is writing to more than 300,000 people who could be owed cash. Thousands of people have been underpaid their state pension as they were missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) from their National Insurance (NI) record. You could be owed a back payment for the difference you should have been paid, as well as an increase to your state pension entitlement if you are affected.

Mark Pemberthy, benefits consulting lead at consultancy firm Gallagher , said: "The amount someone could receive will depend on how many years of Home Responsibilities Protection are missing from their National Insurance record and how this has affected their state pension entitlement. While the exact amount will vary, even a small weekly uplift can make a meaningful difference to someone’s retirement income over time." HRP was a previous scheme to cover a person's NI contributions for periods when they were out of work caring for someone, such as a child.

It ran from April 6, 1978 to April 5, 2010, when it was replaced by National Insurance credits. From May 2000 onwards, you had to include your National Insurance number when claiming the support, so if you put in a claim after then you will not be impacted. Mr Pemberthy said even missing out on a small amount from your state pension can add up over time. He explained: "For most people, the state pension is a vital source of retirement income, so even a small underpayment can make a real difference over time.

The challenge is that gaps like these aren't always obvious, particularly for people who have been receiving their state pension since before April 2016, when everyone received a different amount based on their personal earnings history. "The new state pension for people retiring after April 2016 is the same for everyone, so it is easier to identify if you are not receiving the maximum amount. This particular issue affects people who took time off work between 1976 and 2010 to care for their children or for someone with a long-term medical condition."

The DWP and HMRC currently issuing a second round of letters to those who may have been impacted by the missing HRP issue. They wrote to 340,000 people in 2023/2024 and are nor writing a second letter to some 311,000 people from the same group. More than 25,000 people have had HRP added to their NI record since the issue came to light, with over £100million in state pension back payments issued to claimants. Previous figures showed the average arrears payment was for more than £8,000.

Speaking more generally, the financial expert said it's always worth checking how much state pension you should get. He said: "State pension entitlement can be complex, so it is always worth checking your record, however confident you are about your personal finances. "This is relatively easy to do – and will soon be even easier when the pension dashboard is launched – but this isn’t widely available yet so anyone who may be impacted should check via the pension checker on the Government website."

You typically need 30 years of NI contributions to get the full basic state pension and 35 years of contributions to get the full new state pension. Ensure our latest DWP headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. You can put in a claim for HRP to be added to your NI record on the gov.uk website . If you are yet to claim your state pension, you can check how much you are on track to get using the state pension forecast tool on the Government website.

If you are already claiming your pension, you can contact the Pension Service to check your details are correct.