Martin Lewis urges people not to bin letter saying they could be owed thousands - 'It isn't a scam'
“DON'T bin the letter.”
That’s the warning from consumer champion Martin Lewis as the government begins sending out letters to hundreds of thousands of people, many of them older women, who may be owed money by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Some of the letters, Lewis said, could end up being worth tens of thousands of pounds.
His Money Saving Expert (MSE) website said some people "may be missing out on their full state pension entitlement due to an error in their National Insurance (NI) records.
“Specifically, this affects those who took time off work to care for family between 1978 and 2010, as [their records] may be missing what's known as 'Home Responsibilities Protection' (HRP).”
HRP was a scheme to help protect parents’ and carers’ entitlement to the state pension. NI credits replaced HRP from April 6, 2010.
The letters are being sent out in phases, with those over the state pension age of 66 being contacted first. Some people affected may have died and their families will therefore be entitled to check their eligibility and make a claim for any arrears.
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Women aged in their 60s and 70s are most likely to be affected, the government said.
HMRC has been using NI records to identify as many people as possible who might have been entitled to HRP between 1978 and 2010, but have no HRP on their NI record.
If subsequent claims are successful, records will be updated so people receive the extra money they are owed through their state pension.
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