DWP sends second letters on missing HRP

The Department for Work and Pensions is sending a second letter to some 311,000 people who may have Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) missing from their National Insurance records, according to a report on 4 November 2026. All letters will be sent out by the end of March 2027, and the letter includes a claim form¹.

HRP ran from 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2010 and was replaced by National Insurance credits in April 2010¹. From May 2000 onwards, a National Insurance number had to be included when claiming the support, so anyone who claimed after then will not be impacted¹. People with caring responsibilities between April 1978 and May 2000 may be missing HRP, which could mean a lower state pension than they are entitled to and back payments owed; previous HMRC figures put the average payout at around £8,300¹.

After the error was identified, the DWP and HMRC sent letters to around 340,000 people in 2023/2024¹. More than 25,000 people have had HRP added to their National Insurance record since the issue was identified, with over £100million in state pension arrears paid out¹.

Rebecca Lamb, external relations at Money Wellness, said women who took time out of work to raise children are among those most likely to be affected, especially if they claimed Child Benefit before May 2000, and that people who gave up work to care for someone with a long-term illness or disability could also be missing out¹. She warned that some people could easily miss the letters, including older pensioners, people living with dementia or other cognitive difficulties, those who have moved house, and those who mistake an unexpected government letter for a scam¹. She said the Government does not know exactly how many people are still owed money, so some may not be contacted¹.

Why it matters for households

Anyone whose National Insurance record is missing HRP may have been paid less state pension than they are entitled to, and may be owed arrears. The letters, which carry a claim form, are being sent in stages up to the end of March 2027, so households may receive one at different times over that period. The reported average payout figure of around £8,300 is an HMRC figure for previous cases, not a promise of what any individual would receive¹. People who claimed the support from May 2000 onwards are not affected¹.

The report also lists separate changes. The state pension age is rising in stages from 66 to 67, a process that started in April 2026 and will be completed by April 2028, and the age at which private pensions can be accessed moves from 56 to 57 in April 2028¹. A new Pension Tax Allowance is being brought in from April 2027, applying to anyone of state pension age and tapering off as total income moves above the level of the full new state pension, which will be £13,037 from next April¹. The triple lock is being adjusted from April 2030, with the earnings metric removed, although Labour has said the state pension increase will still keep track with the increase in earnings over time¹. Legislation is in place for the state pension age to rise from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046, and there has been discussion of bringing forward this timetable¹.

What happens next

The remaining letters in the second mailing are to be sent by the end of March 2027¹. The report gives no further timetable for processing returned claim forms, and this has not been reported.