HMRC is reminding parents and carers to apply for a scheme which could be worth an extra £100,000 or more to state pensioners when they retire.

In a post on X, it said: "If you became a parent before May 2000, you may have Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) missing from your National Insurance record. This could mean you're missing out on State Pension payments."

For someone with 13 missing years, who lives for another 20 years, it can be worth as much as £100,000 or more in State Pension payments.

What is Home Responsibilities Protection?

Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was given for full tax years (6 April to 5 April) between 1978 and 2010, if any of the following were true:

  • you were claiming Child Benefit for a child under 16
  • you were caring for a child with your partner who claimed Child Benefit instead of you
  • you were getting Income Support because you were caring for someone who was sick or disabled
  • you were caring for a sick or disabled person who was claiming certain benefits

National Insurance credits for parents and carers replaced HRP from 6 April 2010.

Who qualified automatically for HRP?

Most people got HRP automatically if they were:

  • getting Child Benefit in their name for a child under the age of 16 and they had given the Child Benefit Office their National Insurance number
  • getting Income Support and they did not need to register for work because they were caring for someone who was sick or disabled

If your partner claimed Child Benefit instead of you, you may be able to transfer HRP from a partner you lived with if they claimed Child Benefit while you both cared for a child under 16 and they do not need the HRP.

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2008, you cannot transfer HRP.

HRP for caring for a sick or disabled person

If you spent at least 35 hours a week caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2002, you may also be able to claim.

They must have been getting one of the following benefits:

  • Attendance Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care
  • Constant Attendance Allowance

The benefit must have been paid for 48 weeks of each tax year on or after 6 April 1988 or every week of each tax year before 6 April 1988.

If you were getting Carer’s Allowance

You do not need to apply for HRP if you were getting Carer’s Allowance. You’ll automatically get National Insurance credits and would not usually have needed HRP, but check - just to be sure.

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If you were a foster carer or caring for a friend or family member’s child

You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 2003 and 2010, you were either:

  • a foster carer
  • caring for a friend or family member’s child (‘kinship carer’) in Scotland


All of the following must also be true:

  • you were not getting Child Benefit
  • you were not in paid work
  • you did not earn enough in a tax year for it to count towards the State Pension

Married women or widows

You cannot get HRP for any complete tax year if you were a married woman or a widow and had chosen to pay reduced rate Class 1 National Insurance contributions as an employee (commonly known as the small stamp), or you had chosen not to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions when self-employed