Older women could be due State Pension back payments due to historical DWP errors
Older women throughout the UK could be eligible for back payments following historical Department for Work and Pensions errors. The issue primarily affects women who claimed Child Benefit before 2000 and whose National Insurance number was not properly connected to their claim.
Historical errors relating to Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) continue to represent the bulk of State Pension underpayments arising from National Insurance record issues, according to recent statistics released by the DWP. The latest Fraud and Error in the Benefit System report for the financial year ending 2026 discovered that National Insurance contribution errors remained the principal cause of State Pension underpayments, with HRP recording errors accounting for 6 in every 10 underpaid due to Contributions.
HRP was a scheme established to safeguard the State Pension entitlement of parents and carers between 1978 and 2010. It lowered the number of qualifying years required to receive a full Basic State Pension while individuals were away from work caring for children or disabled people. However, certain qualifying years were not properly logged on National Insurance records, affecting State Pension entitlements for numerous people.
State Pension underpayments stood at 0.3 per cent (£390 million) in the year to April 2026, broadly consistent with £430m in the previous year. The proportion of State Pension claims that were underpaid remained at five in every 100 claims throughout the financial year ending 2026.
The DWP said: "Some people have not had all eligible years of HRP recorded on their National Insurance records and so have an incomplete record affecting their State Pension entitlement."
The DWP and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are continuing with the Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) correction exercise to locate those potentially impacted, correct records, and issue backdated payments alongside updated ongoing State Pension payments. HMRC has sent out more than 370,000 letters—mainly to women—encouraging recipients to check their State Pension payments as they may be getting less than they are entitled to.
Anyone who suspects they may have missing National Insurance contributions linked to HRP is urged to check their State Pension forecast and National Insurance record. Total State Pension spending reached £146.1 billion in the year ending April 2026, up from £136.4bn the year before.