Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP)

Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was a scheme that helped protect the State Pension rights of parents and carers between 1978 and 2010. Whilst the scheme closed in 2010 and was replaced by National Insurance credits, you can still apply for backdated HRP if it's missing...

Introduction

What was Home Responsibilities Protection?

Home Responsibilities Protection operated from 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2010. It was designed to protect the State Pension of people who took time out of paid work to care for children or sick and disabled relatives.

Your State Pension entitlement depends on your National Insurance record and the number of 'qualifying years' you have. A qualifying year is one where you either worked and paid National Insurance, received National Insurance credits, or paid voluntary National Insurance contributions.

For those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2010, HRP reduced the number of qualifying years needed for a full basic State Pension by up to 22 years. Women needed 39 qualifying years for a full basic State Pension, and men needed 44 years.

For anyone reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010, any HRP for full tax years before 6 April 2010 was automatically converted into National Insurance credits (up to a maximum of 22 qualifying years) if you needed them.

Who should have received HRP automatically

Most people received HRP automatically if between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010 they were:

Awarded Child Benefit for a child under 16 and had given their National Insurance number to the Child Benefit Office
Getting Income Support because they were looking after a sick or disabled person and were not available for work

However, you may have missed out if your National Insurance number was not linked to your Child Benefit claim at the time. This could lead to underpayment of your State Pension, so it's worth checking your National Insurance record.

Who can apply for HRP

You can still apply for HRP if, for complete tax years (6 April to 5 April) between 1978 and 2010, you were:

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

You can also apply if, for a full tax year between 6 April 2003 and 5 April 2010, you were either:

A foster carer
Caring for a friend or family member's child (known as a 'kinship carer') in Scotland

In these last two situations, you must not have been getting Child Benefit, must not have been in paid work, and must not have earned enough in a tax year for it to count towards the State Pension.

Caring for a sick or disabled person

You can claim HRP for years spent caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2002.

You must have spent at least 35 hours a week caring for them, and they must have been getting one of these 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 because you would have automatically received National Insurance credits.

Transferring HRP from a spouse or partner

If you shared caring responsibilities with a partner who was awarded Child Benefit instead of you, you may be able to transfer their HRP to your record. This applies if you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2008.

Your partner can transfer HRP to you for any qualifying years they have on their National Insurance record between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010, provided you both cared for a child under 16 during that time.

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010, the transferred HRP will be converted into National Insurance credits.

Who cannot claim HRP

You cannot get HRP for any complete tax year if you were a married woman or widow and you had chosen either:

To pay reduced rate Class 1 National Insurance contributions as an employee (known as the small stamp)
Not to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions when self-employed

Evidence you'll need

The evidence required depends on your circumstances:

If you were awarded Child Benefit for a child under 16: Include the names and dates of birth of all your children, and details of the other parent if known. You can also provide supporting evidence such as a Child Benefit award letter or bank statement showing Child Benefit payments.

If you were a foster or kinship carer: Send a copy of an up-to-date letter of confirmation from the local authority or fostering agency.

If you cared for a sick or disabled person: Provide evidence showing the allowance or benefits the person you cared for was paid during the period you were caring for them. The evidence must show the allowance or benefit was paid to cover at least 48 weeks of each year you're claiming HRP.

How to apply

Before applying, check your National Insurance record and use the Home Responsibilities Protection checker on GOV.UK to confirm your eligibility.

Apply online: You'll need to sign in (or create an account if you don't have one). You'll receive a reference number to track your application. If you need to submit supporting evidence, upload an image file that is 5MB or less in size and in PDF or JPEG format.

Apply by post: Fill in the online form, print it, sign the declaration, and post it to HMRC (the address is provided on the form). You cannot save your progress, so gather all your information before you start. You can also phone the National Insurance enquiries helpline to request an application form.

Before you apply, you'll need:

The tax years you're applying for
The dates you claimed Child Benefit (if applicable)
Any dates you lived outside the UK during the period you're applying for

After you've applied

Once you've submitted your application, you can check when to expect a reply from HMRC.

If your application is approved and you previously paid voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions, you may be able to apply for a refund.

You can still apply for HRP even if you're over State Pension age, though you will not usually be paid any increase in State Pension that may have been due for previous years.

Sources

This article provides general guidance based on current HMRC rules. For advice specific to your situation, speak to your accountant.