As of January 1, the ‘Request information about underpaid State Pension for someone who has died’ service has closed. This Department for Work and Pension service was available to help people who realised their loved ones weren’t getting the state pension they were due, giving them information about how to check this and the next steps to take.
Instead, Brits now need to contact the DWP directly if they suspect their late loved one was underpaid. If the deceased lived in Great Britain, their family can call 0800 731 0469, text 0800 731 0464 or use 18001 for Relay UK and then dial 0800 731 0469.
Welsh-speaking people can call 0800 731 0453 or text 0800 731 0456 on weekdays between 8am and 6pm. However, if the deceased lived in Northern Ireland they will need to contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre. Similarly, if the person lived in another country their loved ones will need to contact the International Pension Centre.
The service was originally set up after the DWP identified certain groups of people who had not received the automatic increase to their state pension that they are owed under the law. Unfortunately, by the time the discovery was made in 2020 some of those affected had already died.
The issue largely affected people who were married or widowed when they died and people aged 80 or over when they died. People can find more information on how to narrow down if their loved ones had been affected on the gov.uk website but they will need to know the deceased’s date of birth, marital status at death and the amount of state pension they were entitled to.
In an effort to right this wrong, the DWP did try to contact everyone affected or wrote to their next of kin or executor of their estate. This was carried out between January 11, 2021 and December 31, 2024.
However, it is still possible that a few people have been missed in these repairs. The DWP advises that if you think you know someone that has been underpaid state pension you can contact the department if you are their next of kin or executor and have not yet been contacted by the DWP.
It’s worth noting you’ll need the following information about the deceased when contacting the DWP on the aforementioned numbers:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Date of death
- Last known address, including their postcode
- Full name of their spouse or civil partner if applicable
- National Insurance number