HOME RESPONSIBILITIES PROTECTION (HRP) (contributed article)

 

This article is based on personal  experience only in late 2008, and individual cases vary depending who handles your case in UK, and possibly up-date of Forms and addresses.

  

HRP was introduced in the tax year beginning April 6th 1978 and can only be allowed for complete tax years . The purpose was to compensate mothers for staying at home to bring up their children so that they didn't lose out when assessing the number of years worked for their Old Age Pension calculation.  

 

The grant of HRP years can only be allowed whilst you (wife) received UK Child Benefit for a child under age 16 and for a maximum of 19 grant years.  

 

My wife on her 60th.birthday (2002) was granted NIL pension and 9p per week Graduated Pension as she only "worked" from 1959 until 1966 before bringing up our 3 kids - ie  no latch-key kids fortunately. She even visited the local office in the Wirral ---- no mention was made of HRP by staff, or in any literature that was handed out, and we had never heard about it, because of course, there was little internet in those years.  

 

I heard about HRP late in 2008 .............

 

In the first instance, contact the following National Insurance Dept, and request Form CF 411 (or possibly download) as before going to the relevant Pensions office, you need the grant of years allowed from the N.I. Dept. 

 

Send to :

 

National Insurance Contributions Office

Room  BP 2201   Benton Park View

Newcastle upon Tyne   NE98 1ZZ

 

Phone    + 44 191 58068 

Fax        + 44 191 54709            My Contact was  G.Jordan    DM Team 

 

ALWAYS STATE your National Insurance Number

List previous UK addresses

List Children's names   dates of birth etc. 

+ any other relevant information that may be useful - i.e don't give them any excuse to prolong matters   

 

(remember HRP was only introduced in tax year beginning 1978 so any calculations start from then)  

 

In our case, our 3rd.child attained 16 in 1993, so she was granted 15 years HRP  one for one as though she was paying a full stamp

 

The N.I. Contributions Office (above) then send you a letter saying your Application for HRP was successful and will state the years covered  .

 

You then send a copy of this letter to :  (in a covering letter, remind them of arrears payment, and give them your Bank Details etc, be it UK or Australia, whatever your preference - again this saves time in the process)  

 

The Pension Service

Tyneview Park

International Pension Centre

Newcastle upon Tyne  NE98 1BA

 

Phone :  + 44 191 21 87777

Fax     :  + 44 191 21 83857

 

e-mail: tvp.ipccsst@thepensionservice.gsi.gov.uk  

 

Our Case Officer was Andrew Robb - Pension Officer

 

We then had a letter back from the above with the new entitlement

 

From Kay's 9p/week, she was granted GBP  28.78/week  2002 with relevant increases to 2005  GBP 31.28/week (we came to Oz in May 2004)   ............. but more important she was also granted arrears of just under GBP 10,000 covering the period 2002 until late 2008.    I didn't check their calculations so cannot say whether they granted any interest - I think not,but I was too grateful for this success - and annoyed that this "benefit" is not, or was not, publicised at the time in 2002  

 

I hope the foregoing helps any reader in deciding whether they qualify and would be pleased to know of any successes 

 

Sadly my wife didn't benefit for too long as she succumbed to cancer in September 2009, and like the good boy that I am, I had to e-mail them and advise them of our "change of circumstances"  

---

HRP is also available for years spent looking after sick or disabled persons.

It is supposed to be automatic for women who receive Child Benefit, but in accordance with usual policy, nobody don't rell you nothing!

 

The Pension Service International Pension Centre, Tyneview Park,   Whitley Rd,  Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE98 1BA,  England. Fax: 44 191 218 7293 Tel:  44 191 218 7777 tvp.internationalqueries@thepensionservice.gsi.gov.uk