DWP owes thousands of people as much as £12,383 each in back payments

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) owes thousands of older people, mostly women, backdated pension underpayments worth as much as £12,383 each.

DWP aims to correct historical administration errors before the end of this year.

The latest figures published by the DWP on its progress of case reviews for possible underpayments, show between January 11, 2021 and October 31, 2023, the checking process has identified 82,323 underpayments, owed a total of £497m. The data also indicates 595,964 State Pension awards have been reviewed, with average payouts ranging between £2,245 and £12,383.

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Some married women, people in a civil partnership, widows and those over 80 may have been underpaid because their current State Pension payment does not include additional entitlements, the Daily Record reports.

In a 2023 update the DWP said it was "on track" to complete the exercise by the end of 2023 for married women (category BL) and those over 80 (category D). The planned end date for the State Pension LEAP ( Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice) exercise is the end of 2024.

In 2020, the DWP became aware of a number of individuals who had not had their State Pension increased, in accordance with the law, automatically when this should have occurred. This prompted the Department to take action to investigate the extent of the problem.

How to check if you are owed backdated State Pension cash

A phone call to the pension service is the quickest way to find out if you have been underpaid your State Pension. The best number to call is 0800 731 0469 but full contact details can be found on the Gov.uk website here.

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