Thousands of older women could be owed up to £5,000, are you eligible?

Martin Lewis revealed on his show The Money Show Live on ITV on Tuesday that thousands of women could be owed up to £5,000 from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP is working with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to identify female pensioners who may have been underpaid.

According to OK! Magazine, a total of £1.3 billion is owed to around 210,000 people. So who is this money owed to and how do you know if you are eligible? Martin Lewis explained in detail on his show and has urged people not to throw out a very important letter and that the letter isn’t a scam! Here’s everything you need to know.

Older women could be owed up to £5,000

Martin Lewis revealed on his show that the DWP and the HMRC are working together in order to back-pay thousands of women who were caring for their families between 1978 to 2010.
He explained that these women should have been receiving National Insurance Credits to boost their State Pension but weren’t.

He said:

It's basically because those who were caring for their family between 1978 to 2010 and were not working should have been getting National Insurance Credits that can boost your State Pension, but weren't - and this is putting that right which is why it can be worth thousands of pounds.

As per OK! Magazine, the DWP can’t start fixing the issue until the HMRC sorts out the affected National Insurance records.

Martin Lewis warns about scammers

The money-saving expert explained that the money is owed primarily to women aged 65, 66 and older. He adds that those concerned will receive a letter entitled: You may be eligible for Home Responsibilities Protection.

He said on The Money Show Live:

This is important. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is sending letters to hundreds of thousands of people over 65, 66 and older. Do not bin them. They are not scams, this is crucial.

Adding:

The letter will be titled, 'You may be eligible for Home Responsibilities Protection', it's mainly for women and it can be worth thousands of pounds, or in some cases tens of thousands of pounds. I got a success on this today, £30,000 - that's why I'm saying don't bin it.

The HMRC asked that Lewis not show the details of the letter to limit the chances of fraudulent ones. Lewis explained that the letter would only send the recipient to the website GOV.UK and that if it sends you to any other, it is a scam:

So check the title matches 'You may be eligible for Home Responsibilities Protection' and directs you to GOV.UK. Please spread the word to primarily women aged 66 or older, don't bin this letter, it's a really important letter.

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Sources used:

OK! Magazine: ‘Martin Lewis urges older women to look out for State Pension back payment letter worth £5,000’