- Martin Lewis warned that approximately 210,000 state pensioners could be owed back payments averaging £8,377 due to historic HMRC errors involving the Home Responsibilities Protection scheme.
- The total amount owed in state pension underpayments has now exceeded £800 million.
- The government wrote to over 370,000 pensioners starting in September 2023, but that letter campaign has ended. The response rate was only eight per cent.
- Lewis stated that the government stopped contacting affected individuals, shifting the onus to individuals to check. He wrote: "The Govt was contacting people, but isn't any longer. Thus the onus is on YOU to proactively check."
- One woman named Cilla received £31,674 in back pay after contacting Lewis's team. She wrote: "I've just received 15yrs' back pay from HMRC of £31,674 for underpayment of my pension."
- Pension reclaim firm AskRose is working with around 100,000 women and reports that dozens of clients died before receiving compensation.
Martin Lewis has issued a critical warning regarding potential state pension back payments for approximately 210,000 individuals due to historic errors by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). These errors, linked to the Home Responsibilities Protection scheme, could result in an average underpayment of £8,377 per person.123
The scheme, which was active from 1978 to 2010, aimed to safeguard the pension rights of those who reduced their working hours or ceased work to care for children or disabled relatives. The total amount owed in state pension underpayments has now exceeded £800 million.4
Lewis emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, 'The Govt was contacting people, but isn't any longer. Thus the onus is on YOU to proactively check.' In September 2023, HMRC began a letter campaign to inform potentially affected pensioners, sending out over 370,000 letters. However, the response rate was only eight percent.56
Pension reclaim firm AskRose is currently assisting around 100,000 women who may be eligible for compensation. Tragically, some clients have died waiting for their claims to be processed. One woman, named Cilla, shared her experience, stating, 'I've just received 15yrs' back pay from HMRC of £31,674 for underpayment of my pension.'8910
“Lewis wrote that the government stopped contacting affected individuals, shifting the onus to claimants to check proactively; the initial letter campaign to 370,000 pensioners had only an 8% response rate. Separately, Cilla received £31,674 for 15 years of back pay; AskRose reports dozens of its clients died before receiving compensation.”
GB News
