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Seven Ways To Claim Your State Pension Boost: The £570 Million DWP Correction Affecting 400,000 People

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The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently undertaking one of the largest financial correction exercises in its history, a process that is set to deliver a significant and life-changing State Pension boost to hundreds of thousands of retirees across the UK. As of the latest updates in late 2025, this comprehensive review aims to rectify historical underpayments that have left an estimated 400,000 people, predominantly women, short-changed on their retirement income for years. This is not a general increase, but a critical correction of errors dating back decades, with the total amount repaid already reaching over £570 million and continuing to climb.

This massive undertaking is crucial for pensioners who retired under the old Basic State Pension system, particularly married women, widows, and those who claimed Child Benefit. The underpayments stem from complex legislation and administrative errors related to National Insurance (NI) records and automatic uprating rules. If you or a family member reached State Pension age before April 2016, it is vital to understand the categories affected and check your entitlement, as the DWP is actively working to identify and repay those who are owed substantial lump sums and an increased weekly pension.

The State Pension Underpayment Correction: Who is Getting the Boost?

The DWP’s correction exercise, which began in January 2021, focuses on specific groups of pensioners whose payments were calculated incorrectly, often due to failures in automatically increasing the pension when a life event—such as a spouse retiring or dying—occurred. The National Audit Office (NAO) initially estimated that around 400,000 cases needed to be reviewed, with the total underpaid amount potentially reaching over £1.5 billion.

The average back payment has been substantial, with some individuals receiving tens of thousands of pounds. The key to receiving this boost is falling into one of the priority groups where systemic errors were identified. These categories are defined by the DWP and are the focus of the current correction efforts.

Seven Critical Groups Affected by the State Pension Correction

The DWP has prioritised the review of cases into seven distinct categories, each representing a specific type of historical administrative error. If you fall into any of these groups, you are highly likely to be due a significant State Pension boost and a lump-sum back payment:

  • Married Women (Category BL): Women who retired under the Basic State Pension (before April 2016) and whose husbands were entitled to a State Pension. They should have had their pension automatically increased to 60% of their husband's basic rate, a rule often missed by the DWP.
  • Widows and Widowers: Individuals whose State Pension did not increase following the death of their spouse. This includes cases where a woman’s entitlement should have been based on her late husband’s National Insurance contributions (NICs).
  • The Over 80s (Category D): Pensioners who were receiving a low Basic State Pension, or none at all, but should have been automatically increased to a minimum rate upon reaching the age of 80, regardless of their NICs.
  • Divorced Women: Women who retired before April 2016 and should have had their State Pension recalculated using their ex-husband's NICs to boost their entitlement, a process that was often not completed correctly.
  • Non-Co-Habiting Couples: Widows who were cohabiting with a partner at the time of their spouse’s death but whose pension was incorrectly frozen due to an outdated 'cohabitation rule.'
  • The Inherited Pension (Pre-2016 Retirees): Cases where a retired spouse died, and the surviving partner's pension should have included an element of the deceased’s Additional State Pension (ASP) or Graduated Retirement Benefit (GRB).
  • Missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP): This is a separate but parallel correction effort by HMRC and the DWP, detailed below, which affects nearly 400,000 people whose NI records are missing vital credits.

The Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) Crisis and Your NI Record

A significant, related cause of State Pension underpayment is the missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP). HRP was a scheme that ran between April 1978 and April 2010 to help protect the State Pension entitlement of parents and carers. It worked by reducing the number of qualifying years needed for the full Basic State Pension.

The DWP and HMRC have identified a major administrative error where HRP was not correctly recorded on the National Insurance (NI) records of people who claimed Child Benefit, particularly between 1978 and 2000. This error affects an estimated 210,000 people who reached State Pension age after April 2010, and approximately 180,000 who reached State Pension age before April 2010.

The Impact: A single year of missing HRP can reduce a person's State Pension by up to £303 per year. Correcting multiple years can result in a significant boost and a lump-sum back payment.

What is Happening Now? HMRC has been sending out nearly 400,000 letters to people who may be affected by the missing HRP. The letters advise recipients to check their NI records and, if necessary, provide evidence of their Child Benefit claim to have the missing credits applied. This is a proactive step to ensure that those who took time out of work for caring responsibilities receive their full entitlement.

How to Check Your Eligibility and Claim Your Boost

If you suspect you or a family member may be affected by either the DWP correction exercise or the missing HRP issue, taking proactive steps is essential. The DWP is working through its lists, but for the HRP issue, a direct check is often required.

Action Steps for the DWP Underpayments (Categories 1-6)

  • Check Your Spouse's Pension: If you are a married woman who reached State Pension age before April 2016, check your pension against your husband's. Your pension should be at least 60% of his basic State Pension amount.
  • Contact the DWP: The DWP has dedicated teams for the correction exercise. The simplest way to check is to call the Pension Service and ask them to review your State Pension calculation under the correction scheme. Be specific about the category you believe you fall into (e.g., "Married Woman's Pension uplift").
  • Gather Documentation: Have your National Insurance number, and details of your spouse's pension and date of death (if applicable) ready.

Action Steps for Missing HRP (Category 7)

  • Check Your NI Record Online: The most important first step is to check your National Insurance record via the Government's website. Look for gaps in your qualifying years between 1978 and 2010.
  • Look for the Letter: If you claimed Child Benefit between 1978 and 2000, keep an eye out for a letter from HMRC.
  • Apply for Correction: If you find gaps and believe you are missing HRP, you will need to provide evidence of your Child Benefit claim (such as the Child Benefit reference number or the child’s birth certificate). You can complete a specific application form (CF411) to request that the missing HRP credits be added to your record.

The current DWP correction exercise is a clear acknowledgement of historical errors that have financially penalised hundreds of thousands of people. By checking your eligibility now, you can ensure you receive the correct, significantly boosted State Pension you are entitled to, along with a potentially large lump-sum back payment.

Note on Frozen Pensions: It is important to distinguish this DWP correction from the separate, ongoing campaign to unfreeze the State Pension for over 400,000 British retirees living overseas. Their pensions are currently not uprated by the Triple Lock, and while campaigners continue to push for a boost, this remains a political demand, not a confirmed DWP correction exercise.

Key Entities and Terms Related to the State Pension Boost

  • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP): The government body responsible for paying the State Pension and carrying out the correction exercise.
  • Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP): A former scheme (1978-2010) that protected State Pension entitlement for parents and carers.
  • National Insurance (NI) Credits: Credits that count towards your qualifying years for the State Pension.
  • Basic State Pension: The pension system for those who reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016.
  • New State Pension: The current system for those who reached State Pension age after April 6, 2016.
  • Triple Lock: The mechanism used to uprate the State Pension each year (by the highest of inflation, average earnings growth, or 2.5%).
  • Married Woman's Stamp: A historical term for the reduced rate of NI contributions paid by some married women.
  • National Audit Office (NAO): The independent body that scrutinised the DWP's underpayment errors.
Seven Ways to Claim Your State Pension Boost: The £570 Million DWP Correction Affecting 400,000 People
state pension boost for 400000 people
state pension boost for 400000 people

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