State pensioners claiming a government benefit in certain years can add thousands of pounds to their State Pension with a simple HMRC check.
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has urged pensioners who were claiming Child Benefit between 1978 and 2000 to check its eligibility checker as they may be missing out on extra cash.
HMRC said that pensioners may be missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) from their National Insurance record and could be entitled to claim some money back.
HRP was a scheme set up to help protect parents’ and carers’ State Pension but was later replaced by National Insurance credits in 2010. It will have been paid to you automatically if, between April 6, 1978 and April 5, 2010, you were claiming Child Benefit for a child under 16 and Income Support because you were looking after a sick or disabled person, and were not available for work.
HMRC wrote in statement on X: “If you claimed ChildBenefit before May 2000, you may be missing Home Responsibility Protection (HRP) from your National Insurance record.
“Claiming now may increase your StatePension. Complete our eligibility checker and see if you can claim.”
HRP reduced the number of qualifying years you needed to get the full basic State Pension by up to 22 years. To get a full basic State Pension a woman needed 39 qualifying years and a man 44 qualifying years.
If you think HRP is missing from your National Insurance record then you’ll need to submit an application for it. You may still be able to apply if, for full tax years (April 6 to April 5) between 1978 and 2010, you were either:
sharing the care of a child under 16 with a partner you lived with and they claimed Child Benefit instead of you – you may be able to transfer their HRP
caring for a sick or disabled person
You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:
If you reached State Pension age on or after April 6, 2010, then any HRP you had for full tax years before this date was automatically converted into National Insurance credits (if you needed them) up to a maximum of 22 qualifying years.
To submit a claim for HRP, you can apply online via GOV.UK or by post.
