Millions to Receive back pension payments as DWP sends second round of letters
The Department for Work and Pensions is mailing a follow-up notice to about 311,000 people who may be owed extra state pension money after a historic National Insurance credit error.
The Department for Work and Pensions is issuing a second round of letters to about 311,000 former or current state pensioners who might have been short-changed because the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) credit was omitted from their National Insurance records. This credit historically covered periods when people, especially women, left work to raise children or care for disabled relatives, and its absence can reduce pension payouts.
In the initial 2023/24 outreach, roughly 340,000 people were contacted, and the DWP has already disbursed more than £100 million in back payments, with an average of £8,000 per person. The latest letters contain a physical claim form to make filing easier, and HMRC’s online eligibility checker remains available for those who prefer a digital route. Myrtle Lloyd of HMRC said the inclusion of the form should boost response rates and speed up any additional payouts. Recipients do not need to wait for the mail to act; they can apply directly through the government website.
How the sides frame it
LOW AGREEMENTCenter coverage highlights the DWP’s proactive rollout of letters and substantial back-payment payouts to pensioners, while right-leaning coverage stresses that the forthcoming credit scheme is narrow, may leave many pensions reduced, and ties to the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
CENTER
The story is framed as the government correcting past pension shortfalls by sending letters and issuing sizable back-payments.
RIGHT
The story is framed as a warning that the new credit scheme is limited, leaving many pensioners with reduced future pensions.
The right emphasises
- appeal denied because child-benefit was not claimed, creating gaps in National Insurance records
- new credit scheme described as narrow and tied to the High Income Child Benefit Charge
- scheme may only retroactively cover periods after the 2013 charge, leaving earlier gaps unaddressed
