The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has provided an update on its ongoing efforts to send out state pension back payments, with the average individual owed nearly £12,000. The department is currently issuing payments to those who have been underpaid due to the Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practice (LEAP) issue.
Payments have already been made to all individuals in the married women and civil partnership (category BL) group, as well as those over 80 (category D). Officials have confirmed that “progress remains on track for the ‘widowed’ cases to be completed by the end of 2024”.
The DWP has identified approximately 119,050 pensioners who were underpaid, with average back payments amounting to £11,905 the Record reported.
These are the three categories of people who are affected by the LEAP issue:
- Category BL (Cat BL) – People who are married or in a civil partnership who reached state pension age before April 6, 2016 and who should be entitled to a Category BL uplift based on their partner’s National Insurance contributions.
- Missed conversions – People who have been widowed and their state pension was not increased to include any amounts they are entitled to inherit from their late husband, wife or civil partner.
- Category D (Cat D) – People who reach age 80 and who are getting some basic state pension but less than the £85.00 (in 2022-23) and may therefore, subject to satisfying the appropriate residency conditions, be entitled to Cat D state pension of £101.55 a week (2024/25 weekly rate).
Below are the figures for the number of cases reviewed, arrears identified and payments made between January 2021 and September 2024.
Married (Cat BL)
- Cases reviewed: 321,142
- Underpayments identified: 45,907
- Average arrears payment: £5,591
- Total amount repaid: £250.6million.
Widowed (Cat B)
- Cases reviewed: 445,188
- Underpayments identified: 39,706
- Average arrears payment: £11,905
- Total amount repaid: £417.2million.
Over 80 (Cat D)
- Cases reviewed: 90,720
- Underpayments identified: 33,437
- Average arrears payment: £2,202
- Total amount repaid: £68.2million.