STATE PENSION HRP: Home Responsibility Protection helped to protect the State Pension.

National Insurance credits have replaced HRP for parents and for carers. Likely reasons to have Home Responsibilities Protection eligibility is if:

• You were caring for a sick or a disabled person for a complete tax year before April 2010.
• You were a foster carer for a complete tax year before April 2010.

Note: Parents and carers may get National Insurance credits from the 6th of April 2010 instead of HRP.

HRP credits earned before 6th of April 2010 got converted into National Insurance credits. There is a maximum conversion of 22 years. But, credits will only count towards the State Pension if you reached State Pension age on or after the 6th of April 2010.

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Home Responsibilities Protection Amounts

The number of qualifying years on your National Insurance record determine the amount of State Pension you may get at State Pension age.

Home Responsibilities Protection worked in a different way. HRP reduced the number of qualifying years you needed to get the full basic State Pension.

This applied to those who reached State Pension age before the 6th of April 2010. But, it could only reduce the qualifying years needed to twenty (20) to get the full basic State Pension.

You might get Additional State Pension if you qualified for HRP because:

• You received Child Benefit for a child who was under the age of 6.
• You looked after a sick or a disabled person (including a child over the age of 6).

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Home Responsibilities Protection Eligibility

You may still qualify for Home Responsibilities Protection if:

• You were caring for a sick or a disabled person for a complete tax year before April 2010.
• You were a foster carer for a complete tax year before April 2010.

Some people will have qualified for Home Responsibility Protection by automatic process. Whereas, others will need to apply for HRP. It will depend on your circumstances.

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Automatic Qualification for HRP

As a rule, you would have qualified for HRP ‘automatically’ if:

• You were getting Child Benefit in their name for a child under the age of 16 and they had given the Child Benefit Office their National Insurance number.
• You were getting Income Support and they did not need to register for work because they were caring for someone who was sick or disabled.

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Home Responsibilities Protection Application

You will need to apply for HRP if:

• You were regularly spending at least 35 hours a week looking after someone getting Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance at the middle or highest rate for personal care, or Constant Attendance Allowance.
• You were a registered foster carer throughout a full tax year from April 2003 and were not getting Child Benefit and were not in paid work, or did not earn enough in a tax year for it to count towards the State Pension.
• You think HRP is missing from your National Insurance record.

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People who were not Eligible for HRP

There are several circumstances where you would not usually have received HRP.

Married Women or Widows

You could not get HRP for any complete tax year if you were a married woman or a widow and:

• You chose to pay reduced rate Class 1 National Insurance contributions as an employee (also called the small stamp).
• You chose not to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions while self-employed.

Carer’s Allowance

You get National Insurance credits ‘automatically’ if you receive the Carer’s Allowance and would not usually have needed HRP.

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How to Claim Home Responsibilities Protection

Fill in ‘National Insurance: application for Home Responsibilities Protection form CF411‘ to claim HRP. HMRC National Insurance helpline can also provide you with an application form.

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Guidance for Foster Carers

Filling in form CF411 has another step for carers who are fostering children. You must also supply a letter given by your local council or the agency you worked for. The letter confirms you were an approved foster carer for all the full tax year.

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When to Claim HRP

You can claim HRP at any time if it is for years spent caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability between April 1978 and April 2002. You can still apply even if you are above State Pension age.

Note: As a rule you do not get paid any increase of State Pension that may have been due for previous years.

HRP rules changed from April 2002 onward. You must claim it within 3 years of the end of any tax year you spent caring for someone with a long-term illness or disability.

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Further Guidance and Information

HRP Changes from April 2010 (for carers and parents)

Home Responsibilities Protection got replaced for people who reach State Pension age on or after the 6th of April 2010. If you are a parent or a carer, you might get a National Insurance credit for each week in which:

• You are getting Child Benefit for children less than 12 years old.
• You are one of the approved foster carers.
• You are caring for at least 20 hours a week for people who are getting Attendance Allowance, the middle-rate or highest-rate care component of Disability Living Allowance, or Constant Attendance Allowance, or the need for care got certified.

From April 2010, there is no limit to the amount of credits awarded to parents and carers. This is providing they meet the qualifying rules.

What if you reach State Pension age on or after the 6th of April 2010? Complete tax years of HRP get converted into qualifying years up to a maximum of 22 years. Note that these also count towards bereavement benefits.

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