Who was underpaid
The biggest errors hit people who reached State Pension age under the old system (before 6 April 2016). The main groups:
| Group | What went wrong |
|---|
| Married women / civil partners | Should have had an uplift based on their husband’s/partner’s NI (often to around 60% of his basic pension) but didn’t get it automatically. |
| Widowed people | Pension wasn’t increased to include amounts they could inherit from a late spouse or civil partner. |
| People aged 80+ | Didn’t get the Category D over-80 uplift they were entitled to. |
| Parents & carers (missing HRP) | Periods of Home Responsibilities Protection missing from the NI record (roughly 1978–2010) made the pension too low. |
A classic red flag: a married woman whose own basic pension is well under about 60% of her husband’s, or a widow whose pension didn’t change when her husband died. If that sounds familiar, check.
Do you need to do anything? Mostly the DWP contacts you — but check
For the three main groups the DWP ran a correction exercise and contacts people automatically where it finds an underpayment, paying a lump-sum of arrears and correcting the ongoing pension — so you usually don’t need to apply.
But don’t just assume you were caught
The exercise wasn’t perfect and some people were missed. If you (or an older relative) fit one of the groups and the figures look wrong, contact the Pension Service and ask for a check — it’s free, and if you’re owed money you’ll get the arrears. It’s also worth checking on behalf of someone who has died, as arrears can be paid to their estate.
The Home Responsibilities Protection gap
This one often does need you to act. HRP protected the State Pension of parents and carers (roughly 1978–2010) who were at home raising children or caring for someone. If HRP is missing from your National Insurance record, your pension can be too low.
- Most likely affected: someone who claimed Child Benefit in their own name in that period (typically mothers) where HRP didn’t get recorded.
- What to do: ask HMRC to check and correct your record — you can apply (HMRC’s HRP correction route / form CF411). Correcting it can increase your pension and trigger arrears.
- It can affect people below State Pension age too (your future pension), so it’s worth checking your NI record now — see our National Insurance gaps guide.
How to check & claim
- Work out which group fits — married/civil partner (pre-2016), widowed, over 80, or possible missing HRP.
- For the pension-uplift groups, contact the Pension Service and ask them to check your entitlement and any arrears.
- For HRP, ask HMRC to review your National Insurance record and apply to add missing HRP.
- Get free help from Age UK, MoneyHelper or Citizens Advice — and never pay a claims firm for something you can do for free.
Do this now
- Check an older relative too — many affected are in their 70s–90s and won’t know to look.
- Pension-uplift query? Call the Pension Service and ask for a check. Possible HRP gap? Contact HMRC to correct your NI record.
- Get free help from Age UK (0800 678 1602) or MoneyHelper — no claims firm needed.
Free help: Age UK 0800 678 1602 · MoneyHelper · Citizens Advice 0800 144 8848 · GOV.UK Pension Service. This is general information, not financial advice.
Source verification
Primary sources: GOV.UK (State Pension underpayments — progress on cases; Home Responsibilities Protection LEAP exercise), Age UK and MoneyHelper. Last verified 21 June 2026. Confidence: High — the DWP identified large-scale underpayments affecting married/civil-partner pensioners (Category B uplift, reaching pension age before 6 April 2016), widowed pensioners (inherited amounts) and the over-80s (Category D), and has repaid over £800m, contacting affected people and paying arrears; a separate HMRC/DWP exercise corrects missing Home Responsibilities Protection, for which people often need to apply. The main DWP correction exercise has been reported as largely complete, so proactive checking is advised for anyone who may have been missed; HRP corrections are ongoing. SortedUK is independent — not a government service or a claims firm — and this is general information, not financial advice. Checking and claiming are free.
State Pension underpayments — common questions
My mum is a widow in her 80s — could she be owed money?
Possibly on two counts: the over-80 (Category D) uplift and inherited pension from her late husband. It’s worth contacting the Pension Service to ask for a check — arrears can be substantial, and free help is available from Age UK.
I'm a married woman getting a small pension — is that normal?
If you reached pension age before April 2016 and your basic pension is well below about 60% of your husband’s, you may be owed an uplift. Ask the Pension Service to check — you might be due arrears and a higher ongoing pension.
How do I know if HRP is missing?
If you claimed Child Benefit in your own name between roughly 1978 and 2010 and stayed home with children, check your National Insurance record for those years. If HRP is missing, ask HMRC to correct it — see our National Insurance gaps guide.
Should I pay a company to claim this for me?
No. Checking with the Pension Service or HMRC is free, and Age UK, MoneyHelper and Citizens Advice will help at no cost. A claims firm would only take a slice of money that’s rightfully yours.
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