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Seven Key Facts About The £8,377 State Pension Boost For 400,000 Parents And Carers

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As of December 20, 2025, a major correction exercise by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is delivering a significant financial boost to an estimated 400,000 people, predominantly women who are parents or carers. This is not a new government policy, but an ongoing effort to rectify historical State Pension underpayments caused by missing records of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP). The latest figures confirm that the average payout in arrears for those successfully reviewed is a substantial £8,377, highlighting the critical need for all potentially affected individuals to check their National Insurance (NI) records immediately. The underpayments stem from a systemic failure to record HRP credits, which were designed to protect the State Pension entitlement of parents and carers who stayed at home and were not paying National Insurance contributions. The DWP's Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) exercise is the formal process of identifying and correcting these errors, which relate to periods between 1978 and 2010. The government has stressed that while they are proactively contacting people, individuals who believe they are owed money should take steps to verify their eligibility to ensure they receive the full boost and all due arrears.

The £8,377 State Pension Boost: What the HRP Correction Is

The "boost" is a direct result of the DWP's commitment to correcting historical errors related to the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) scheme. This scheme, which ran from April 1978 to April 2010, was designed to protect the State Pension rights of individuals—mostly mothers—who were out of work because they were caring for a child under 16 or a sick/disabled person.

What is Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP)?

HRP was a system that allowed a person to maintain their National Insurance (NI) record for a period when they were not working due to caring responsibilities. Each year of HRP effectively counted as a qualifying year for the State Pension, preventing significant gaps in a person's contribution history.

  • HRP was replaced by National Insurance credits for parents and carers in 2010.
  • The underpayment occurred because, in many cases, the HRP was not correctly transferred to the NI record, even when the individual successfully claimed Child Benefit.
  • The correction process involves the DWP and HMRC working together to cross-reference Child Benefit records with NI records to automatically update the missing HRP years.

Latest Arrears Payout Figures (Up to March 2025)

The DWP has been transparent about the progress of the LEAP exercise, with the latest management information released on December 5, 2025, detailing the correction work up to the end of the 2024/2025 financial year.

  • Total Underpayments Identified: 12,379 cases identified between January 2024 and March 2025.
  • Total Arrears Paid Out: Approximately £104 million.
  • Average Payout: The average arrears paid to those with confirmed underpayments stands at a significant £8,377.

This payout is a combination of a lump-sum arrears payment and a permanent increase to the individual's weekly State Pension amount, which is a crucial factor in long-term financial security for retirees.

Who Are The 400,000 People Affected? Eligibility and Timeline

The figure of 400,000 people represents the estimated total number of individuals who may have been affected by the HRP error. The DWP's primary focus is on individuals who reached State Pension Age before April 6, 2016, as they are on the Basic State Pension system where HRP had the most significant impact.

The Core Eligibility Criteria

The vast majority of affected people fall into a specific demographic group based on when they claimed Child Benefit. If you meet the following criteria, you are highly likely to be one of the 400,000 people the DWP is trying to reach:

  1. You are currently receiving the State Pension.
  2. You claimed Child Benefit between April 1978 and April 2010.
  3. You did not include your National Insurance (NI) number on your Child Benefit claim form. (This was not a mandatory requirement for many years).
  4. You were not working or paying full-rate NI contributions during the period you claimed Child Benefit.

The error primarily impacts women because they were the ones who historically claimed Child Benefit. Men who claimed Child Benefit or received Specified Adult Childcare credits for caring responsibilities during this period may also be affected.

The Proactive Contact Campaign

HMRC is systematically sending letters to all individuals identified as potentially missing HRP on their record. This is a massive administrative undertaking, and the letters are being sent out in batches. If you receive a letter from HMRC, it is essential to follow the instructions, as it indicates you have been identified as a high-priority case for review. Even if you have not yet received a letter, you should still check your record, especially if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Action Required: How to Check Your NI Record and Claim Missing Arrears

While the DWP and HMRC are working to correct records automatically, the fastest and most secure way to ensure you receive your full entitlement is to proactively check your records and submit a claim if necessary. This is especially important for those who are currently approaching or have recently reached State Pension Age.

1. Check Your National Insurance Record Online

The first step is to check for gaps in your NI record. You can do this easily through the official government website. A missing HRP year will appear as a gap in your contributions, which could be incorrectly marked as a year where you did not contribute enough.

  • Log in to the Government Gateway or use the GOV.UK Verify service to access your personal tax account.
  • View your State Pension forecast or a full breakdown of your National Insurance contribution years.
  • Look for any years between 1978 and 2010 where you were claiming Child Benefit but have a gap in your contributions.

2. Complete the CF411 Application Form

If you identify a period where you claimed Child Benefit but have a gap in your NI record, you will need to formally apply for the HRP to be added.

The form required is the CF411: Application for Home Responsibilities Protection. You must complete and send this form to HMRC with evidence that you were receiving Child Benefit for the period in question, such as your Child Benefit number or the child’s birth certificate.

Filling out the CF411 form triggers a comprehensive review of your entitlement. If the missing HRP years are confirmed, your State Pension will be recalculated, and you will be paid the lump sum arrears along with a permanently higher weekly pension payment.

3. Understand the Impact on Your State Pension

The correction of a single year of missing HRP can increase your Basic State Pension by up to £300 a year. If you have multiple years missing, the total increase to your annual pension could be significant, making this correction a vital financial lifeline. For those on the New State Pension, the impact is less common but still possible, so a check is always recommended. This ongoing HRP correction exercise is one of the most important administrative tasks the DWP has undertaken, ensuring that the financial sacrifices of parents and carers are finally and correctly recognised in their retirement income.

Seven Key Facts About the £8,377 State Pension Boost for 400,000 Parents and Carers
state pension boost for 400000 people
state pension boost for 400000 people

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