The Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs are writing a second round of letters to 311,000 people who may be owed extra state pension because of missing Home Responsibilities Protection on their National Insurance records.

Home Responsibilities Protection, known as HRP, covered National Insurance contributions for people who were out of work caring for a child or someone else between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010, when it was replaced by National Insurance credits. Claims made before May 2000 did not always include a National Insurance number, so the protection was sometimes never added to the record.

An earlier mailout in 2023 and 2024 reached 340,000 people. The new letters, which include a claim form for the first time, will be sent out by the end of March 2027, with 215,000 going to people who have already reached state pension age.

More than 25,000 people have had HRP added to their National Insurance records since the issue came to light, and over £100 million in state pension back payments has been issued. Previous figures put the average arrears payment at more than £8,000, although the amount depends on how many years of protection are missing.

Anyone who claimed Child Benefit between 1978 and May 2000 may be affected. People can check whether HRP is missing by using the eligibility checker on GOV.UK, or by contacting the Pension Service. Claims can be made online or by post using form CF411, and claiming is free, with no need to use a third party.

A full basic state pension typically needs 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions, and a full new state pension needs 35 years.