The State Pension corrective process, or LEAP exercise, started in January 2021, and the Department for Work and Pensions has determined the underpayments and affected pensioners. Under this historical error, the department identified around 130,948 underpaid people, so the DWP is paying back over £800 million to the affected people.
A progress report on the cases evaluated and underpayment determined up until March 31, 2025, has been made public. The department categorized the underpaid people as married (category BL), widowed, and over 80 (Category D). All the cases were checked for multiple errors, hence, many individuals can find their claim in more than one category.
With more than ten thousand people underpaid, this is one of the biggest historical government errors, hence, all those affected pensioners must receive the payout. The Department is contacting affected pensioners, but people are advised to check the Pension Service if they were underpaid.
| Who is eligible? | Married women, over 80, and widowed state pensioners |
| Identified People | 130,948 |
| Total fund | £804.7 million |
| Average Payout | £11725 for widowed; £5553 for married, and £2203 for over 80 |
| How to claim? | No need to claim if you received the notice; if not, contact the pension service |
| Pension Service | 0800 731 0469 |
| Recent Report | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-pension-underpayments-progress-on-cases-reviewed-to-31-march-2025/state-pension-underpayments-progress-on-cases-reviewed-to-31-march-2025 |
| Official Website | https://www.gov.uk/ |
Who is eligible?
As mentioned earlier, the department has categorised the underpaid people into three categories; people who meet these categories will be eligible for the payout as they were affected by the government error:
- Married (Category BL): The married women who were on a low pension, as their pension was boosted when their spouse retired.
- Over 80s (Category D): Older adults who are over 80 and whose state pension was not automatically raised.
- Widowed: Pensioners who lost their spouse and whose benefits were not re-evaluated to boost or change.
Payout amount
According to the DWP’s recent progress report, the DWP identified the following average payments for all three categories based on the cases reviewed and the underpayment identified in the whole process:
- Category BL: The department reviewed over 300,000 cases and found 47,0004 underpaid, so the average payout amount for the category is around £5553 from the total amount of £252.8 million from the fund £804.7 million.
- Widowed: The department reviewed over 465,000 cases and found 50,261 underpaid, so the average payout amount for the category is around £11,725 from the total amount of £483.4 million.
- Category D: The department reviewed over 90,000 cases and found 33,683 underpaid, so the average payout amount for the category is around £2,203 from the total amount of £68.5 million.
How to know you were underpaid?
The category of state pensioners who were underpaid received the notice from the DWP; however, some pensioners over 80 or widowed can check if they were underpaid and entitled to the payment released by the DWP.
The pensioners who received the notices do not have to do anything as the DWP will send their calculated payment automatically; however, those who do not receive the notice should contact the authority to receive the payout.
The consultancy firm reports that people from other groups, like married women whose spouse was retired before 17 March 2008, and divorced women, are not included in the category and will have to report to the DWP.
The LCP Consultant firm has released a few questions that might help you to find out if you are underpaid and deserve the payout from the DWP. In this context, you can find the calculator visit https://www.lcp.com/en/our-impact/is-your-state-pension-being-underpaid and Scroll down and find (Were you born before 6th April 1953) to see if you are underpaid.
Where to claim?
The groups who find themselves underpaid due to the government error from all these years can claim the money by reaching out to the UK Pension Service in the following ways:
- Contact no. 0800 731 0469 (textphone 0800 731 0464)
- To query in Welsh: 0800-731-0453 (textphone 0800-731-0456).
- The Pension Service, Post Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1 AF is where you can send mail.
When to expect?
The DWP has been working on providing the payment to the pensioners who were underpaid due to the error since the whole checking process began in 2021. The department says in some cases, pensioners may have received the entitled payment with their government allowance or pension credit.
The department will finish the LEAP exercise with the last installment, and they say they have completed the Categories BL and D exercise in December 2023; however, as the number changed after that, some may still leave to receive the payout. The Department says that all the affected people provide the additional information the authority requires, typically for complex cases.
The department has started issuing the checks for the eligible pensioners, hence, the eligible state pensioners can expect the payout in a few days or weeks, depending on the mailing service.