Over two years ago, I reached out to the Department for Work and Pensions in Wolverhampton to inquire about any pension payments my late mother may have been entitled to. Unfortunately, I received a generic response stating that I didn’t need to take any further action and to simply wait for their contact. However, I have not heard anything from them since.
I have filled out the online form multiple times, but still no reply. Each time I call to inquire, I receive a different answer. One representative even acknowledged the long wait of two years and confirmed that my mother’s claim had not been processed yet.
Just a week before, someone else assured me that they were looking into it, but because it was a historical claim, it would take some time. It’s frustrating that I haven’t received any updates for over two years. It raises concerns about whether they prioritize deceased individuals’ claims last. Can you provide any assistance? I simply want to check the status of my mother’s pension, but I’m getting nowhere. I keep getting shuffled around and given different stories.
Steve Webb’s Response: The government has acknowledged the significant state pension errors that have been discovered in recent years. These errors have affected not only those who are currently receiving a pension but also those who have unfortunately passed away.
To address these errors, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiated a project that began in January 2021 and is expected to conclude by the end of 2024. This project aims to rectify the errors that occurred once individuals had started receiving their pension. It includes cases where married women and widows didn’t have their state pension reassessed when their husband retired or passed away. Additionally, many individuals with very low pensions failed to receive automatic increases when they turned 80.
According to the DWP’s annual report, they have already made payments worth £324 million to over 50,000 individuals affected by these errors. In total, they estimate payments to approximately 170,000 people, amounting to just under £1.2 billion. The project prioritizes living individuals, so payments to deceased individuals’ estates may occur closer to 2024.
The challenge lies in identifying next of kin, as DWP estimates that they will only find next of kin in around 75% of cases involving underpaid married women’s pensions and around 57% of cases involving underpaid widows or individuals over 80. To assist with this, they have established a “next of kin portal” titled “Request information about underpaid state pension for someone who has died,” where families can register their details. However, registering on the portal doesn’t guarantee a swift response or priority. It simply ensures that DWP possesses the correct information to contact next of kin when reviewing pension payments for a deceased loved one.
Regarding the second major error on state pensions, arising from Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) recording errors on National Insurance records, approximately 210,000 individuals have been underpaid, amounting to an estimated £1 billion. Of these, 150,000 are still alive, while 60,000 have passed away. HMRC’s approach to rectifying this issue is still unclear, but they are likely to rely on general publicity and correspondence to locate those affected.
To prepare for potential HRP claims, you can gather information about children for whom the late parent received child benefit back in the 1980s and 1990s. HMRC will require full names, dates of birth, and National Insurance numbers for these children. Compiling this information will enhance the likelihood of a successful HRP award in the future.
Proving entitlement can be challenging due to disposal of official records over time. For example, child benefit records from the 1980s and 1990s no longer exist. Additionally, National Insurance records were often deleted several years after the last member of a couple passed away. Although DWP has temporarily halted the deletion of historical records, it’s unlikely that records for individuals who passed away many years ago will be retained or appear in any computer scan of the National Insurance database.
Finally, I wanted to share a success story where a reader faced delays in updating her National Insurance record and obtaining a refund for unnecessary voluntary contributions. This is Money intervened, and HMRC apologized to the reader, updated her record, and refunded the voluntary contributions. The case has now been forwarded to the Department for Work and Pensions to calculate her state pension, which is scheduled to start soon.
In conclusion, I understand your frustration with the lack of progress on your late mother’s pension claim. While you have already registered on the next of kin portal, there isn’t much more you can do at this stage. The government is aware of the errors and has initiated projects to address them, but the process is time-consuming and prioritizes living individuals. I recommend keeping an eye on updates from the DWP or HMRC, and if you have any specific concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to them directly.
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