There could be a huge number of people entitled to a larger state pension (Picture: Getty)
The Money Saving Expert has warned hundreds of thousands of people could be owed a significant sum in underpaid state pensions.
Martin Lewis says the warning mostly affects women aged 66 and over who took time off work for childcare reasons at some point between 1978 and 2010.
He’s warned people not to bin a letter from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which will soon drop through their letterboxes – as it definitely isn’t a scam.
HMRC has started writing to thousands of people who could be missing out on their full state pension entitlement due to an error in their national insurance records.
This error affects people who took time off work to care for their family between 1978 and 2010, as they may be missing what’s known as ‘home responsibilities protection’ (HRP).
Letters are being sent out in phases, with those over the state pension age of 66 being contacted first.
Martin Lewis shared the details on his website, explaining: ‘HMRC has asked us not to publish any part of the letter, to avoid the risk of having it mimicked by scammers – though we can share that the letter will be titled “You may be eligible for home responsibilities protection”.
‘You’ll be asked to check whether you were eligible for HRP between 1978 and 2010, which you can do online.
‘If the checker says you’re eligible, you’ll be able to submit your claim online and HMRC will update your national insurance record, which may increase your state pension payments.
‘You can also claim via post, but you’ll first need to fill in a form on Gov.uk, which you can then print and send off.
‘People currently getting the state pension are most immediately affected, as the gaps in their records could be having a direct impact on their payments right now – so that’s the group HMRC is prioritising first, with those close to retirement to follow.
‘If you’re still years off state pension age, it’s best to hold off applying for the time being and wait for HMRC to contact you – otherwise the process could slow down for everyone.’
Martin Lewis says there are still some details which are yet to be clarified by HMRC – such as how the claim process works if the person has since passed away, and whether there’s a way to apply without using a computer.
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HMRC has started writing to thousands of people who could be missing out on their full state pension entitlement due to an error in their national insurance records.