For UK households that had children between 1978 and 2010, HMRC has issued a letter notifying them of an error
Martin Lewis is encouraging parents who had children between 1978 and 2010 to check if they are owed a hefty sum of £10,000. This cash is linked to back taxes owed by UK households that took time off work during those years, with HMRC utilising National Insurance (NI) records to identify as many people as possible.
On X, the money-saving expert warned: “State Pension error! Did you take time off work (1978 to 2010) to look after children or someone with long term disability? You could be owed £10,000s.
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“In brief: 100,000s wrongly have Nat Insurance gaps that reduce your State Pension as they should’ve got ‘Home Responsibilities Protection’. The Govt was contacting people, but isn’t any longer. Thus the onus is on YOU to proactively check.
“Cilla emailed us, “I’ve just received 15yrs’ back pay from HMRC of £31,674 for underpayment of my pension. Thank you.” Brits could be due an average of £5,000 in back payments, according to the accounting experts at Robson Laidler.
A spokesperson for Robson Laidler clarified: “It is estimated tens of thousands of people are due an average of £5,000 in back payments. HMRC and DWP are also conducting a wider campaign to ensure that everyone who may be eligible is aware of the corrections exercise.”
They further advised: “We would therefore advise checking your own NI records rather than waiting for a letter from DWP/HMRC to arrive. There is no time limit for applying for HRP if it has not been awarded.
“Anyone who may have claimed Child Benefit before May 2000, when it was not mandatory to provide your National Insurance Number on your claim, may not have the correct number of years for State Pension purposes on their NI record, if you first made a claim after May 2000, you will not be affected.”
HMRC has stated: “HMRC will send you a letter if we think you may have missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP).
“We want to help you make sure you receive the right amount of State Pension, so we’re asking you to check if you were eligible for HRP between 1978 and 2010.
“You may have been eligible if you received Child Benefit for a child under 16. The letter will tell you how you can check if you’re eligible to claim missing Home Responsibilities Protection and how to make a claim.”
Those uncertain whether they’ve been underpaid have been encouraged to examine their state pension and National Insurance record – if there are missing years in your National Insurance record between 1978 to 2010, then you might be lacking HRP. You can submit a claim for missing HRP by utilising the online service on GOV.UK..
