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More than 130,000 people have been awarded a collective £800 million in state pension back payments due to historical government errors.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published an update this week of cases checked as part of a correction exercise which started in January 2021.
Between January 2021 and March 2025, the checking process identified 130,948 underpayments, with a total of £804.7 million owed.
The DWP is currently checking through hundreds of thousands of cases to find those who are owed money, here’s how to check if you’ve been affected.
Who has been affected by the pension underpayments?
Those affected by errors include:
- Married women on low state pensions whose pension was not automatically uplifted when their partner retired;
- People whose pension was not automatically reassessed on the death of their spouse;
- Over-80s whose state pension entitlements were not automatically increased.
According to an update by the DWP on Thursday, the average payments to those owed have been:
- Married women (category BL): £5,553
- Widowed: £11,725
- Over 80s (category D): £2,203
Cases may be checked for more than one potential cause of error, so a claim may be counted in more than one category, the DWP said.
Another state pension correction exercise is looking into missing historic periods of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP), leading to inaccurate state pension payments.
Between January and September 2024, the exercise identified 5,344 underpayments, with total arrears of around £42 million.
How to check if you are affected
The DWP has stated that it will contact some married women. However, if you are a widow or above the age of 80, you should still check to see whether you are entitled to any refunds.
Pension consultants LCP have a calculator to work out if you are owed any money.
You can then get in touch with the Pension Service to find out how to get your money back.
Sir Steve Webb, partner at consultants LCP (Lane Clark & Peacock), said: “The vast majority of those who lost were women, some of whom were underpaid for decades or even went to their grave never paid the right state pension.
“The remaining corrections need to be handled as a matter of urgency. This should never be allowed to happen again.”
A DWP spokesperson said: “Our priority is ensuring pensioners receive the dignity and security they deserve in retirement and that state pension underpayment rates remain as low as possible.
“We have now completed the vast majority of cases in the exercise as planned with a small number of outstanding cases due to further documentation needed from the customer.”
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