Home Responsibilities Protection: check and claim missing pre-2010 years

What HRP was

HRP was not a payment. It was a protection on your National Insurance record for whole tax years when you were looking after a child or a sick or disabled person. National Insurance credits for parents and carers replaced it on 6 April 2010 (GOV.UK: Home Responsibilities Protection).

Who should have HRP

You should have received HRP automatically for full tax years between 6 April 1978 and 5 April 2010 if you were awarded Child Benefit for a child under 16 and had given the Child Benefit Office your NI number, or you got Income Support without needing to register for work because you were caring for a sick or disabled person.

You may need to apply if:

• you shared care of a child under 16 with a partner you lived with and they got the Child Benefit (you may be able to transfer their HRP);
• you cared for a sick or disabled person;
• for a full tax year between 6 April 2003 and 5 April 2010 you were a foster carer, or a kinship carer in Scotland.

Why HRP can be missing

GOV.UK says you may have missed out if your NI number was not linked to your Child Benefit claim at the time, and that this could lead to State Pension underpayment. Older paper claims often left the NI number blank. If your record shows gaps in years when you were at home with children under 16, HRP is the first thing to check, before paying voluntary contributions.

The carer rules are stricter

For years spent caring for a sick or disabled person, HRP only covers 6 April 1978 to 5 April 2002. You must have cared for at least 35 hours a week, and the person must have received Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care, or Constant Attendance Allowance. The benefit must have been paid for 48 weeks of each tax year from 6 April 1988, or every week of each tax year before that. You must send evidence such as a proof-of-benefit letter.

Carers who got Carer’s Allowance did not usually need HRP because they received credits automatically.

Who cannot get HRP

You cannot get HRP for a complete tax year if you were a married woman or widow who had chosen to pay the reduced rate (the “small stamp”), or chose not to pay Class 2 while self-employed. See our guide to the married women’s reduced rate.

How to apply

1. Check your NI record for gaps between 1978/79 and 2009/10.
2. Use the Home Responsibilities Protection checker on GOV.UK.
3. Apply online or by post, or ask the HMRC National Insurance helpline for a form. Foster and kinship carers must then send a letter from the council or agency.
4. To move HRP from a partner who got the Child Benefit, use the transfer application. You must reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2008.

You can apply after State Pension age, but GOV.UK says you will not usually be paid any increase that may have been due for previous years. Apply as early as possible.

Worked example

Maria had children in 1990 and 1993 and stayed at home until 2002. Her record shows nine gap years from 1993/94 to 2001/02. Her husband claimed the Child Benefit. If she reaches State Pension age after 6 April 2010, he may be able to transfer HRP for those years, which would then convert into credits. Paying voluntary Class 3 for nine years is usually not possible this far back. The normal window is the past 6 tax years (GOV.UK: Voluntary National Insurance – how and when to pay).

Sources

Official pages checked on 14 November 2026. Figures are for the 2026/27 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027) unless stated.

• GOV.UK: Home Responsibilities Protection
• GOV.UK: National Insurance credits – eligibility
• GOV.UK: Check your National Insurance record
• GOV.UK: Voluntary National Insurance – how and when to pay
• nidirect: Getting credits towards your State Pension

Related guides

• National Insurance credits: fill gaps without paying
• Married Women's Reduced Rate NI: State Pension Effect
• How to check your NI record and read your State Pension forecast