Did you know that you may be entitled to a state pension increase? This increase is available through Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) for those who have taken time off from work to care for children or a sick or disabled person ...
This scheme ran between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010 and aimed to protect the state pension of parents and carers who had to take time out of work due to caring responsibilities. It worked by reducing the number of qualifying years an individual needed to receive a full basic state pension (up to a maximum of 20 years).
HRP was replaced with national insurance credits for parents and carers on the 6th of April 2010, but if you were eligible for HRP during that time period, you may still be entitled to a state pension increase.
The first step is to check your national insurance records. You can do this by contacting HMRC and requesting a State Pension statement. This statement will show you how many qualifying years you have on your national insurance record and if you have any gaps. It's important to note that you generally need at least ten qualifying years to receive any state pension and 35 years to receive the maximum amount (currently £221.20 per week).
If you find that you have gaps in your national insurance record, it's worth checking if you were eligible for HRP during those years. This is especially important if you took time off to care for children or a sick or disabled person between the 6th of April 1978 and the 5th of April 2010. If you were eligible, you may be able to apply for HRP to be added to your record, potentially boosting your state pension.
Prior to May 2000, it was not compulsory to include your national insurance number on the child benefit claim form. This means that if you omitted it, you may not have had HRP applied to your record. This is why it's crucial to check your national insurance records and ensure that all your information is correct and up to date.
If you find that you were eligible for HRP, but did not have it applied to your record, don't panic. You can still apply for HRP to be added by contacting the National Insurance helpline. You will need to provide evidence that you were eligible for HRP during the years in question, such as a child benefit award letter or a doctor's note confirming that you were caring for a sick or disabled person.
Once HRP is added to your record, it will reduce the number of qualifying years you need for your state pension, potentially increasing the amount you receive!
If you're at or near state pension age in the UK, it's worth checking your national insurance records to see if you are eligible for a state pension increase through home responsibilities protection. Don't let administrative discrepancies prevent you from receiving the full state pension you deserve. Take the time to check your records and potentially boost your pension for free.
After all, you've worked hard for it and it's important to make sure you receive the full benefits you're entitled to.
If you'd like to find out more about anything I've written here, do call me on 01908 774323 or leave a comment below and let's see how I can help you.