HMRC alert as people on state pension may be owed cash | Personal Finance | Finance

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued an alert to people who claimed Child Benefit before 2000. Certain individuals who did so may be missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), a scheme to help protect parents’ and carers’ State Pension.

People should have received HRP automatically if between April 6 1978 and April 5 2010 they were claiming either Child Benefit for a child under 16, or Income Support because they were looking after a sick or disabled person and therefore unavailable for work.

However, if someone claimed Child Benefits before May 2000 and did not provide their National Insurance (NI) number on their claim, HRP may not have been applied and their State Pension – and they could now be owed cash. In a new alert on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday HMRC said: “Check if you can claim missing Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP). It may increase your #StatePension.”

It added that people can find out more and complete the eligibility checker here, and explained that only those who claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 may be affected.

Guidance on Gov.uk adds: “You’ll need to apply for HRP if you think it’s missing from your National Insurance (NI) record. You may still be able to apply for HRP if, for full tax years (6 April to 5 April) between 1978 and 2010, you were either sharing the care of a child under 16 with a partner who lived with you and the claimed Child Benefit instead of you – you may be able to transfer their HRP – [or if you were] caring for a sick or disabled person.”

You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were a foster carer, or if you were caring for a friend or family member’s child in Scotland.