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PEOPLE COULD BE OWED THOUSANDS OF POUNDS DUE TO A MISTAKE ON THEIR RECORD NICHOLAS DAWSON 04:53, 21 May 2025 HMRC has said it will be writing to people who could be owed state pension

payments. The issue came to light after a person asked the tax authority over social media about the case of their mother, who was affected by a historical issue in the 1980s and 1990s

relating to her child support. They are likely referring to the issue Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), as thousands of people are thought to be affected as they were missing this from

their National Insurance (NI) record. The problem affects mostly women, as HRP was put on people's record when they were out of work with caring responsibilities, such as caring for

children, to ensure they had their NI contributions towards their state pension. Previous Government estimates suggest the average underpayments payout is £7,800, and your current state

pension entitlement could also be increased once your record is corrected with the missing HRP. Responding to the customer, HMRC said: "We're writing to anyone affected by this so

your mother should receive a letter in due course. "Your mother needs to check her National Insurance record. If you need any further information you'll need to contact the NI

helpline." Article continues below HMRC has already been sending out letters to people who may be affected, to invite them to apply for HRP so it can be added to their record. The HRP

scheme ran from 1986 to 2010, after which it was replaced by NI credits. However, from 2000 it became mandatory to have a NI number on claims, so if you made a claim for HRP after this point

you will not have been affected. The latest DWP figures show there was a total of £450million in underpayments in the 2024/2025 tax year, with most of these relating to the HRP issue. Fluer

Iannazzo, money wellbeing expert and coach at Aon, urged people to verify if they are owed payments. She said: "Anyone who thinks they might’ve been underpaid their state pension due

to missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) years should act now. Article continues below "The form to apply [for HRP] is CF411 and is found on the Government’s website, with help

also available online or through the Department for Work and Pensions’ helpline. It can also be a good idea to get a trusted friend or family member to support you with this process."

Another financial expert, Kristian Manton from Octopus Money, also urged people to check over their NI record to see if they are owed cash. He said: "If you suspect you’ve been

underpaid - or a relative has - the first step is to check your National Insurance record and state pension entitlement via your personal tax account on the Government Gateway. "Compare

this against what you’ve been receiving. If there’s a discrepancy, contact the DWP to have it reviewed."