Are you a parent who took time off work to care for your children or a loved one with a long-term disability between 1978 and 2010? You may be eligible for a significant financial reward! Martin Lewis, the renowned founder of MoneySavingExpert, has brought to light a state pension error that could entitle you to a whopping £5,000. But here's where it gets controversial...
The error affects parents who stopped working or took breaks from work to care for their kids or a disabled person before 2010. It's estimated that up to 100,000 women may not have received Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), which prevents gaps in National Insurance contributions. As a result, they may not receive their full state pension, even though they may be entitled to thousands.
In a recent video, Lewis urged people to check if they're entitled to backpay, highlighting that one woman he spoke to received up to £31,000 from HMRC. "This is an important heads-up about a state pension error that mainly affects women between the ages of 40 and 90, and especially those in their 60s and 70s, because it's for people who took time off work between 1978 and 2010 to look after their children or to care for someone who is long-term disabled," he says.
"You were meant to have got a thing called Home Responsibilities Protection, which should have given you National Insurance years to replace the ones you weren't getting by working, and you need those National Insurance years to get a full state pension. But it's possible over 100,000 women didn't. And whilst the government had been trying to contact those women, it has stopped doing so now, so the onus is on you. To show you how big this could be, Cilla got in touch with me and said, 'I've just received 15 years back pay from HMRC of £31,674 for underpayment of my pension, thank you,'" he said.
So, how can you claim this? Families were entitled to HRP automatically if, between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010, they received child benefit for an under-16 child, or received income support while looking after a sick or disabled person. But if your National Insurance number was not linked to your Child Benefit claim at the time, you may have missed out.
To check and apply for HRP, you'll need to go online or apply by post and provide proof of your situation at the time. When applying online, you'll still need to print the application, sign the declaration, and send it to HMRC. The process should take around 15 minutes, and if approved, you may then be able to apply for a refund. Don't miss out on your hard-earned money! Are you eligible? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
