State pensioners handed £17,700 each from DWP after year-long battle

State pensioners are battling for payouts worth £17,700. The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) is making OAPs wait a YEAR for payments and payouts which they are entitled to, it has been warned by Sir Steve Webb, a Liberal Democrats Pensions Minister.

Christine Plant received confirmation by letter of a 16-year hole in her records, but kept being sent round in circles at HMRC and the DWP. It includes one three-hour phone call she describes as 'awful'. Ms Plant was owed the amount as she was missing Home Reponsibilitie Protection (HRP) from her National Insurance (NI) record, an issue thought to be affecting hundreds of thousands of women.

She had to battle with both HMRC and the DWP with several lengthy phone calls to finally be paid what she was due. Steve Webb says HMRC has written to more than 250,000 people over pension age who are potentially eligible and is starting to write to those under pension age.

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Anyone who has received such a letter should make sure that they respond so that their position can be checked," he says. Ms Plant said: "I am no further forward than this time last year. I’m told it takes a long time but I could end up being one of the deceased that didn’t receive it."

Steve Darling MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for work and pensions, says: "These underpayments affecting parents and family carers are simply heartbreaking - they should have never happened in the first place. Moreover, repayment of those affected has been unacceptably slow, even though these issues came to light as far back as 2022.

"It is imperative that the DWP acts with urgency so that repayments can be deployed without any further delay." Ms Plant said: "I rang HMRC again. I said it's been a year. I said if I owed you any money you wouldn't wait this long."

"We have apologised for the delay in processing Mrs Plant’s award. Where errors do occur, we are committed to resolving them as quickly as possible," the DWP told This is Money. Ms Plant was due a £28 increase to her weekly state pension, increasing her entitlement to £171 a week, accruing her back payments of more than £17,700.