HMRC Child Benefit warning as claimants told to 'make urgent check'

Some people's records may not be accurate
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Parents and carers are being urged to check if they are eligible to make a claim. Some people could be missing a protection on their National Insurance which may mean that they have or will be underpaid on their State Pension.

The error could have affected thousands of claimants. Child Benefit claim forms submitted before 2000 did not include a National Insurance number so the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) they were entitled to may not have been carried across.

HPR allowed parents and carers to build up their entitlement to State Pension when they had to take time off work to look after children or care for other family members. You could be entitled to a higher pension than you are currently due or receiving if HRP is missing from your records.

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This is because the protection reduced the number of years you need to claim the benefit, Mirror reports. It was replaced by National Insurance credits in 2010.

HMRC is urging older parents or carers who may be affected to check their records. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, it said: "If you claimed #ChildBenefit before May 2000, you may be missing Home Responsibility Protection (HRP) from your National Insurance record.

"Claiming now may increase your #StatePension. Complete our eligibility checker and see if you can claim." If you are affected, you could be owed about £5,000.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is expecting to pay out more than £1billion in arrears. HMRC is in the process of tracking down more than 180,000 pensioners who may have been underpaid.

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But it is estimated that 43,000 of those affected have since passed away. In this case, their family will be able to make a claim for any money owed.

The main rules for qualifying for a year of HRP from 1978 are:

  • You had to be receiving child benefit in your own name (not that of a spouse or partner)

  • Your child was under 16 for the whole of the financial year in question

  • You were not paying the married woman’s ‘reduced stamp’

If you think you have missed out, you should first check your State Pension and your National Insurance record. For those who reached State Pension age after April 5, 2010, any year of HRP/credits should be showing as a complete year on your National Insurance record.

If not, then you may have missed out. The Government has also created an online checker tool on GOV.UK to see if you are likely to be eligible to make a claim.