Many women may miss State Pension due to HRP issues

HMRC has issued a warning to women in their 60s and 70s about missing state pension payments due to a tracking issue. The problem affects those who took time off work to care for family while claiming child benefits between April 6, 1978, and April 5, 2010. During this time, a system called Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was supposed to automatically protect parents' and carers' pension entitlements. However, many women have not received the proper HRP credits due to deficiencies in the system. The government has stated that people may be missing HRP credits from their National Insurance records, which can impact their State Pension. Individuals still have the chance to apply for HRP credits if they claimed child benefits for a child under 16 or cared for a sick or disabled person during the specified years. Those caring for someone eligible for certain disability benefits can also qualify. The amount of State Pension a person receives is determined by their National Insurance record and the number of qualifying years they have. For women who reached State Pension age before April 6, 2010, HRP could reduce the required qualifying years for a full basic pension by up to 22 years. If individuals claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 and did not include their National Insurance Number, their records may be inaccurate. This situation is mostly affecting women in their 60s and 70s. Those who claimed Child Benefit after May 2000 are not affected since it became mandatory to provide a National Insurance Number at that time. As of April 6, 2010, new National Insurance credits have been accurately recorded. For those who reached State Pension age after April 6, 2016, they may qualify for the new State Pension.