Overview

• The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has uncovered 130,948 state pension underpayment cases, totaling £804.7 million as of March 31, 2025.
• Errors primarily impacted women, including married women, widows, and over-80s, due to failures in automatic pension adjustments.
• A separate review of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) identified 5,344 underpayments, amounting to £42 million in arrears by September 2024.
• The government anticipates total repayments to exceed £1 billion, with most cases resolved but some still requiring customer documentation.
• Experts have called the situation one of the largest benefit scandals in recent history, urging swift resolution for affected pensioners.