logo
DWP urges 200,000 parents to come forward after missing out on massive state pension top up

DWP urges 200,000 parents to come forward after missing out on massive state pension top up

Independent17-07-2025
Hundreds of thousands of parents are missing out on a retirement top up worth £5,000 on average as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) admits it is struggling to reunite most with the money they are owed.
An estimated 194,000 have been affected by the issue, which has seen their state pension being underpaid – or could in the future – due to a record-keeping issue which was no mistake of their own.
The error relates to Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), which was available between 1978 and 2010 for people in receipt of Child Benefit or with caring responsibilities.
The scheme reduced the number of qualifying years a claimant needed for a basic state pension in retirement, meaning the amount of years spent in-work and paying national insurance. This was to account for their home-related responsibilities which made them less able to be in employment.
Protection through HRP was meant to applied automatically to those who claimed Child Benefit, with most claimants being mothers. However, the DWP says it noticed in 2021 that this had not happened in hundreds of thousands of cases, leading to underpayments worth £5,000 on average.
But in its latest annual report, the department reduced the funds set aside for the repayments from £1.2bn to just £29.8 million – a deduction of over £1bn – conceding that it will not be able to rectify the issue in the near future.
The report explains: 'Correcting HRP is inherently challenging.
'The number of people applying to correct their missing HRP has been low. Substantial numbers of people have not responded to government calls for them to apply to add missing HRP and the exercise has resulted in much lower activity levels.'
Since autumn 2023, HMRC has issued over 370,000 letters to people who were potentially affected. However, during 2024/25, only 12,379 state pension underpayments were compensated, totalling around £104 million. In the year before this, it was just 419.
In response to the low take-up, the DWP has decided to change the compensation scheme from a short-term repayment drive to an ongoing programme. This means those who are affected should face no time limit in claiming what they are owed, while the department saves considerable sums in the short-term.
Anyone affected can retrospectively apply for HRP online or by post. For those who require more information, HMRC's national insurance helpline can be reached on 0300 200 3500.
Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb said: 'The DWP's latest report is a hammer blow to over 100,000 mothers who are receiving reduced state pensions because of errors on their National Insurance record.
'The Government's letter-writing campaign has been a dismal failure, and this was entirely predictable given its reliance on a complicated online claims process,' the LCP partner told The Telegraph.
'Although there will still be some ongoing publicity, the figures in the annual report are an admission that the Government itself does not expect these efforts to have much impact.'
A government spokesperson said: 'We are determined to help people who have been left out of pocket as a result of historical errors which are no fault of their own.
'That's why we wrote directly to over 370,000 of those who were potentially affected and launched an online tool to help people check if they needed to claim.
'We carried out an extensive campaign to raise awareness of the issue and will continue regular communications to get people to check their National Insurance record.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Thousands of retained firefighters owed pension payments, union says
Thousands of retained firefighters owed pension payments, union says

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

Thousands of retained firefighters owed pension payments, union says

More than 10,000 former retained firefighters across the UK are missing out on pension payments, according to a payments, which became available following recent legal rulings, could be worth anything from several thousand to more than £100, Fire and Rescue Services Association (FRSA) has urged anyone who might qualify to contact their old employers to ask if they are eligible and to get help about how to or on-call, firefighters are usually based in more rural locations and answer emergency calls alongside working a normal job. They never used to get a pension. However, two legal rulings in the past few years have changed that, meaning they are now entitled to anyone who served as a retained firefighter between two dates connected to those rulings - April 2000 and April 2006 - could qualify, and not just for a pension covering those six years, but for their entire must "buy back" (pay for) the pension contributions they would have made toward any pension scheme, but that bill can be taken off any final payment they're much money that is depends on factors such as the amount of time served, how busy their fire station was and what rank they attained. 'Great bonus to the household' Peter Duncombe spent 35 years serving as a retained firefighter in Buckinghamshire and qualified for a lump sum of about £10,000 plus ongoing monthly payments of around £180."This extra pension... is a great bonus toward the household," he said."Especially with the current issues with the cost of living increases, fuel rises and electricity going up. It's just excellent really. "The lump sum, which was a great bonus, we're actually going to use some of that for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday... and the remainder will go back into the kitty for maybe another holiday in another year." So far the FRSA estimates about 16,000 people have come forward to make a of them have received lump sum payments of tens of thousands of pounds, plus monthly payments going the union estimates at least 10,000 more are eligible but haven't yet put in a urging them to contact their former employer to find out how to put in a claim or message the union via its website to get help and advice.A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said: "It's essential our firefighters get the pensions they have earned as quickly as possible."Fire and rescue authorities are responsible for the administration of the pensions, and the government is supporting them to address issues raised by firefighters."A Local Government Association spokesperson said: "Some individuals have service that goes back as far as the 1960s and Fire and Rescue Authorities have been working tirelessly in trying to trace some individuals, to ensure that they do not miss out on this opportunity." After serving as a retained firefighter for nearly 30 years in Devon and Cornwall Paul Jarvis qualified for a lump sum payment of around £30,000 and ongoing monthly payments of nearly £200."This lump sum payment will improve my expectations and will mean that I can afford to retire nearly straightaway," he said."Then, going forward, it will boost my state pension... as well as giving me an extra monthly payment which, in these times, is a very, very useful payment."A spokesperson for the National Fire Chiefs Council, which represents fire and rescue service, said on-call firefighters play a "critical role" in the UK's emergency response and strongly encouraged anyone who thinks they may be eligible for payments to contact their pensions administrator.

English police forces loosen fitness test requirements
English police forces loosen fitness test requirements

Times

time3 hours ago

  • Times

English police forces loosen fitness test requirements

Police forces in England have quietly reduced the difficulty of their fitness tests as a new analysis reveals they are among the easiest in the world. Last year, following pressure from the Police Federation, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) issued guidance to forces to lower the amount of running required in the annual bleep test. The new standard, which has been taken up by forces including Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and West Yorkshire, eased the requirements from level 5.4 — equivalent to four minutes 22 seconds of light jogging — to level 3.7, equivalent to three minutes and eight seconds of the same. Some forces, such as Surrey police, have also made the change for new applicants.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store