The UK Government has encouraged elderly people who may be entitled to backdated State Pension payments, due to past Home Responsibilities Protection errors, to use alternative claim methods if they are unable to do so online.

Treasury Minister James Murray said: “Pensioners unable to access their Personal Tax Account can apply for Home Responsibilities Protection by completing a print and post form (CF411) which is available on GOV.UK. Alternatively, they can contact the National Insurance helpline to request a paper form.”

His remarks were made in a written reply to Lib Dem MP Dr Roz Savage, who queried what measures are being implemented to ensure that “older people entitled to Home Responsibilities Protection compensation are not excluded from claiming due to identity verification requirements”.

Recent data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reveals that between 8 January 2024 and 31 March 2025, a joint State Pensions corrections exercise with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) identified 12,379 State Pension underpayments to women whose National Insurance (NI) records are incorrect.

In 2022, the DWP became aware of several State Pension cases where it seemed that historic periods of HRP were missing, resulting in inaccurate State Pension payments. So far, approximately £104 million in arrears have been paid out, with an average payment of £8377, reports the Daily Record.

HMRC has dispatched more than 370,000 letters, predominantly to women, encouraging them to review their State Pension payments as they may be receiving less than they are entitled to.

However, DWP research suggests that the majority of people who received a letter did not subsequently apply for HRP.

The barriers included:

• Not understanding the letter
• Thinking the communication was a scam
• Reliance on digital methods to put in a claim

HRP was a scheme established to safeguard parents’ and carers’ entitlement to the State Pension and was superseded by NI credits from 6 April 2010. HMRC is utilising NI records to identify as many people as possible who might have been eligible for HRP between 1978 and 2010 and have no HRP on their NI record.

After May 2000, it became compulsory to include a NI number on claims so people claiming after this point will not have been affected.

How to use the online HRP tool

You may still be able to apply for HRP, for full tax years (6 April to 5 April) between 1978 and 2010, if any of the following were true:

• you were claiming Child Benefit for a child under 16
• you were caring for a child with your partner who claimed Child Benefit instead of you
• you were getting Income Support because you were caring for someone who was sick or disabled
• you were caring for a sick or disabled person who was claiming certain benefits

You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:

• a foster carer
• caring for a friend or family member’s child (‘kinship carer’) in Scotland

Who qualified automatically for HRP

The guidance on GOV.UK explains that most people received HRP automatically if they were:

• getting Child Benefit in their name for a child under the age of 16 and they had given the Child Benefit Office their National Insurance number
• getting Income Support and they did not need to register for work because they were caring for someone who was sick or disabled

However, you may be able to transfer HRP from a partner you lived with if they claimed Child Benefit while you both cared for a child under 16 and they do not need the HRP. The HRP can be transferred to you for any ‘qualifying years’ on their National Insurance record between April 1978 and April 2010, which will then be converted into National Insurance credits.

For married women or widows

You cannot get HRP for any complete tax year if you were a married woman or a widow and:

• you had chosen to pay reduced rate Class 1 National Insurance contributions as an employee (commonly known as the small stamp)
• you had chosen not to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions when self-employed

If you were caring for a sick or disabled person

HRP can only be claimed for the years you spent caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability between April 6, 1978 and April 5, 2002.

You must have dedicated at least 35 hours a week to their care and they must have been receiving one of the following benefits:

The benefit must have been paid for 48 weeks of each tax year on or after April 6, 1988 or every week of each tax year before April 6, 1988. Applications are still accepted if you are over State Pension age. However, any increase in State Pension that may have been due for previous years will not usually be paid.

If you were receiving Carer’s Allowance

There is no need to apply for HRP if you were receiving Carer’s Allowance. You’ll automatically receive National Insurance credits and would not typically have needed HRP.

If you were a foster carer or caring for a friend or family member’s child

You must apply for HRP if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:

• a foster carer
• caring for a friend or family member’s child (‘kinship carer’) in Scotland

All of the following must also be true:

• you were not getting Child Benefit
• you were not in paid work
• you did not earn enough in a tax year for it to count towards the State Pension

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010

Any HRP accumulated for full tax years prior to 6 April 2010 was automatically converted into National Insurance credits, if required, up to a maximum of 22 qualifying years. A comprehensive guide to HRP can be found on the GOV.UK website.