Missing State Pension check: 'I reclaimed £25,000 after taking time off to provide care' – can you do the same?

Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was a Government scheme designed to protect State Pension entitlement for those who didn't earn enough credits through paid work due to taking time off for caring responsibilities.

But more than 100,000 of those who were entitled to HRP because they were claiming Child Benefit – most often women – ended up with gaps in their National Insurance (NI) records that shouldn't have been there due to a Government error. These gaps are problematic because NI credits determine how much, if any, State Pension you may be entitled to.

'I got £25,000 back and my State Pension increased by £160-plus a month'

Sheila, a retired tailor from Lincolnshire in her late 70s, heard about HRP through Martin's podcast. "I thought it was interesting because my pension was a lot lower than everybody else that I knew of," she said.

After taking time out from work to care for her two children, Sheila decided to apply, not expecting much. But she was shocked when she received a letter from HMRC within two weeks telling her she was entitled to a huge refund. Now, with the years added to her record, Sheila has received a massive £25,270 in back payments, as well as a significant increase in her State Pension of over £160 a month.

Sheila has used her reclaimed entitlement to pay for a wedding anniversary trip. She is also looking forward to a holiday later this year. "I would like to thank you as I wouldn't have known about this until I heard Martin's programme," Sheila said.

'I received nearly £16,000 in back-payments – this will make a big difference to our lives'

Mary, a 74-year-old retiree from Dorset, saw Martin talking about Home Responsibilities Protection last year, and read about it again in MSE's weekly email. She decided to look into her own situation: "I thought I'd give it a go after hearing about people receiving thousands", she said. Mary had taken time off work to care for her child in the 1970s and 80s.

After applying online in September 2025, Mary says she was initially told she'd hear back in 15 days. When she didn't, she applied again and, "after a few phone calls and letters we finally got there". Mary had to wait until February 2026 before she finally received a letter stating that she was owed £15,788 in back payments.

On top of this, Mary's State Pension increased by over £115 a month. Mary said she had no sense of how much money was missing and was shocked when she found out what she was owed. She told us she has put some of the money into Premium Bonds, "although I know Martin won't approve," and is now "looking for some nice holidays to go on" with her husband.

Mary added: "I would not have known of this had I not seen Martin's show or read MSE's emails. Once again, THANK YOU."

How to check if you're affected by the HRP error

You may have been affected by the HRP error if...

1. You took time off work to look after a child at any point between 1978 and 2010.

AND

2a. You claimed Child Benefit for the first time before May 2000. If you first claimed after this date, you're unlikely to be affected because you will have had to provide a NI number with your claim, so your NI record will have been updated automatically.

OR

2b. Your partner claimed Child Benefit but you were the main caregiver.

In addition: there are other groups, who fall outside the Government error, but who may also be missing HRP and can apply for it – such as foster carers, kinship carers, and those who cared for someone who was sick or disabled.

Visit our HRP guide for more info on how to check if you're missing HRP.

How to apply for missing HRP

You can claim for missing HRP online via Gov.uk or by filling out and posting a form. Our Home Responsibilities Protection guide includes full details of what to do.

Be prepared for possible delays

We're currently hearing of significant delays to the processing of HRP claims for some claimants – ranging from three to 11 months. HMRC's target to respond is within 15 days and it aims to return to this in the 2026/27 tax year, though it has told us that its current average response time for HRP claims is 12 weeks (three months).

However, some people have reported experiencing even longer waits. And the Government's own HMRC reply checker is currently suggesting that you'll be waiting 11 months for a response on new claims, with applications lodged at the end of March 2026 currently expected to receive a reply by around mid-February 2027. The tool says HMRC is currently processing applications submitted in May 2025.

So if you think you could be affected by the error, it’s a good idea to get your claim in as soon as possible.  

What does the Government say?

HMRC has told us that it has seen increased demand on its National Insurance services, but after recruiting extra staff it's seeing response times improve.

"We encourage anyone who thinks they are missing Home Responsibilities Protection from their National Insurance record to check their eligibility using our online tool on Gov.uk. Thousands of people have already successfully claimed via HMRC and are now receiving increased State Pension payments."