Martin Lewis has sounded the alarm for anyone who took time off work between 1978 and 2010 to look after children or someone with a long-term disability. It turns out that they could be owed up to £10,000 in backdated tax refunds due to a government error.
The money-saving expert shared the warning last month on X, urging Britons to check if they might be eligible for compensation. He wrote: “State Pension error! Did you take time off work (1978 to 2010) to look after children or someone with long-term disability? You could be owed £10,000s.”
He explained that hundreds of thousands of people have National Insurance gaps that were caused by a failure to apply “Home Responsibilities Protection” (HRP), which would have helped protect their State Pension entitlements. According to Lewis, the government initially contacted affected individuals but is no longer doing so, leaving it up to people to actively check their records.
He shared a success story of a woman named Cilla who received £31,674 after discovering that she was owed 15 years of back payments for her pension, reports Devon Live.
HMRC is using National Insurance records to find people who may have been eligible for HRP between 1978 and 2010 but didn’t have it on their record. The department has been sending letters to those it identifies as being affected.
Accountants Robson Laidler estimate that the average refund could be around £5,000, with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revealing that errors in HRP recording have led to pension shortfalls of between £300 million and £1.5 billion.
HRP was a scheme designed to protect the State Pension for parents and carers. It was replaced by National Insurance credits from 2010 onwards.
A spokesperson for Robson Laidler commented that tens of thousands of people could be due an average of £5,000 in backdated payments, and both HMRC and the DWP are running a campaign to ensure everyone eligible is aware of the issue.
HMRC has confirmed that if they believe someone has missing HRP, they will send a letter with instructions on how to check their eligibility and make a claim. However, a missing HRP on someone’s record doesn’t automatically mean their State Pension calculation is incorrect—it mainly affects those who took extended career breaks to care for children.
A government spokesperson has stressed the importance of checking National Insurance records, as the State Pension is vital support for those in retirement. They are urging people to make sure they’re receiving the full pension amount they deserve.
Robson Laidler also recommended that individuals check their own National Insurance records, as waiting for a letter from the DWP or HMRC isn’t enough. There’s no time limit for applying for HRP if it hasn’t been awarded.
One potential issue identified by Robson Laidler is that those who claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 may not have the correct National Insurance number linked to their records, as it wasn’t mandatory to provide it before that date.
To check if you qualify for HRP, you’ll be asked about gaps in your National Insurance record. If you’re unsure about the details, there’s an option to select “Do not know” and get guidance on how to proceed. If your record is incorrect or you need to apply for HRP, you can fill out the CF411 form to make your claim.
For further help with your HRP application, contact HMRC for assistance.
You may still be eligible for HRP if, during full tax years between 1978 and 2010, you were:
Caring for a child under 16 with a partner who claimed Child Benefit, or
Caring for a sick or disabled person, or
A foster or kinship carer in Scotland.
Remember, any HRP you had before April 6, 2010, was automatically converted into National Insurance credits if you needed them.
State Pension error! Did you take time off work (1978 to 2010) to look after children or someone with long term disability? You could be owed £10,000s
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) July 23, 2025
Full help to check in… https://t.co/P4wepwqEKb
In brief: 100,000s wrongly have Nat Insurance gaps that reduce your State…
