Money saving expert Martin Lewis has reported on his website on the 10th of October 2023 that HMRC is sending letters out to UK state pensioners who may be receiving less than their entitlement.
HMRC has started writing to 100,000s of people – mostly women – who may be missing out on their full state pension entitlement due to an error in their national insurance records. Specifically, this affects those who took time off work to care for family between 1978 and 2010, as they may be missing what’s known as ‘home responsibilities protection’ (HRP). The Government recently acknowledges that around 210,000 people – mainly women – could have been underpaid up to £1.3 billion due to gaps in their NI records and said it would start identifying and contacting those affected this year.
The letters are being sent out in phases, with those over state pension age (66) being contacted first.There may also be other reasons you may not be getting your full state pension entitlement.
If you receive the letter you can contact HMRC directly by calling 0044 300 200 3500.
If you’ve received the letter, you can check you’re eligible to receive the full entitlement. This is completed using an online “checker” https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-home-responsibilities-protection If the checker says you’re eligible, you’ll be able to submit your claim online and HMRC will update your national insurance record, which may increase your state pension payments. You can also claim via post, using a form collected from the above link.
Also see Money Saving Expert web site:
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/10/hmrc-letter-pension-underpayments/
