Thousands of UK pensioners could be owed up to £11,725 by DWP – see if you’re on the list.uk
Pensioners the length and breadth of Britain have been underpaid to the tune of £800m.
Thousands of pensioners could be owed up to £11,725 (Image: Getty)
Thousands of UK pensioners have been underpaid to the tune of more than £800 million – with some owed up to £11,725, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed. The State Pension errors mean there are two sets of correction exercises being investigated by the DWP.
The first correction exercise relates to married women whose State Pension was not automatically increased when their husbands retired, widows whose State Pension was not automatically reassessed, and individuals over 80 with low State Pensions. The DWP began investigating these specific errors in January 2021. In total £804.7million has been disbursed.
The error has led to thousands of people being underpaid (Image: Getty)
The DWP identified 131,000 cases where pensioners had been underpaid this included 50,261 widowed individuals, 47,004 married women, and 33,683 over-80s with low State Pension income.
In some cases, people may have received an overpayment of another benefit such as pension credit, the department said.
The average arrears for widowed women stands at £11,725, while married women have received an average of £5,553 back. The average award for those over 80 is £2,203.
The second correction exercise was launched in January 2024 and relates to mothers who were claiming Child Benefit before 2000 and may be missing Home Responsibilities Protection on their National Insurance record. This means they may not be getting the correct amount of State Pension, as your entitlement depends on your National Insurance record.
The majority of underpayment cases fall into these three main groups (Image: Getty)
1. Married Women (Category BL)
- Affected when their pensions weren’t automatically increased when their husbands reached State Pension age.
- These women were supposed to receive 60% of their husband’s basic State Pension, but many were left on a lower rate.
2. Widowed Pensioners
- Pensioners whose State Pension wasn’t properly recalculated after their spouse passed away.
- Some were eligible for more due to inheriting part of their partner’s pension.
3. Individuals Over 80 (Category D)
- Pensioners who did not automatically receive an increase once they turned 80, despite being entitled to it under UK pension rules.
How much could I be owed?
The DWP has said the average underpayments made are:
- Widowed: £11,725;
- Married women (category BL): £5,553;
- Over 80s (category D): £2,203.
