Finance guru, Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert has issued new pension advice for thousands of Brits.
If you took time off work to look after your children between 1978 and 2010, you could actually be owed tens of thousands of pounds, due to National Insurance gaps that may have reduced your state pension.
The loophole also applies if you took a career break to care for someone with a long-term disability or illness.
Previously, the government was taking the time to contact those impacted – but now, the onus is completely on you to claim the cash back.
What is Home Responsibilities Protection, and how does it impact my state pension?
Between 1978 and 2010, a system called the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was in place to ensure that those who didn’t earn enough to accrue a state pension through paid work – mainly women who were caring for their family members – weren’t financially penalised.
During this time period, you were eligible for the benefit from the birth of your child, to their 16th birthday. This means, those children now would be aged between 47 and 15.
It was automatically handed out to those who were either claiming child benefit or income support, specifically while caring for someone with a long-term illness, effectively reducing the number of National Insurance credits needed to qualify for a full state pension.
It meant that, if you needed 30 years’ worth of NI credits to receive the pension, but took five years off in the late 1970s or onwards to look after your child, the system would’ve lowered the number you’d need to be eligible to 25.
These back payments can end up being rather hefty, as one woman, named Cilla, revealed to MSE that she recently received 15 years’ worth of missed payments amounting to £31,674.
But in the latest Money Saving Expert newsletter, Martin Lewis’s team says that the system was completely ‘beset with errors’ – and as a result, the hundreds of thousands who cared for children had gaps in their NI records that, plainly, shouldn’t have been there.
The finance gurus remind us that you’re most likely to be impacted if you:
- Are currently aged between 41 and 90 (though it mainly impacts women in their 60s and 70s)
- Took time out from paid work either to look after a child or a person with a long-term disability or illness between 1978 and 2010
- Claimed child benefit but stayed at home to look after a child or a person with a long-term disability or illness between 1978 and 2010
- Didn’t include your National Insurance number on your claim.
How can I check my state pension?
Wondering whether you’re being paid the correct amount in state pension? There are a few different ways you can check.
It’s worth noting that HMRC issued letters to those likely to be impacted by the missing HRP by the end of June 2025, though MSE notes that many still haven’t acted on this.
But if you’re still not sure, you can take a look at your state pension forecast or statement, which you can do either by logging into the Gov UK website or by calling the Future Pension Centre.
They’ll be able to post a copy of your statement – but you’ll need to have your National Insurance number to hand when you call.
Then, if you do find you’re not receiving a full state pension when you should be – or your forecast says you’re not on track for one – you’ll need to check your National Insurance record to identify any gaps.
This can also be done on the Gov UK website, or by calling the National Insurance Helpline on 0300 200 3500. And if you’re successful, your pension pot could end up significantly heavier.
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