Why did DWP say my mum, 90, was 借りがあるd £60k in 明言する／公表する 年金 - when that was 誤った?

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明言する／公表する 年金 backpayment:?We have spoken to? at least 20 different people in the 政府 so far. Some have been lovely. Some have been obnoxious

My 年輩の mother 老年の 90 had a letter in December telling her she may be 予定 some 付加 国家の 保険 years.

It was 設立する she was 予定 an extra eight years for Home 責任／義務 保護 and a 明言する／公表する 年金 backpayment was 予定.

We have spoken to it must be at least 20 different people in the 政府 so far. Some have been lovely. Some have been obnoxious. Some have been downright rude.

In February on one of these 非常に／多数の calls my sister was told my mum's 支払い（額） was now a large 量. The gentleman told us he could see the 人物／姿／数字s and it was around £24,000.

We have a スピードを出す／記録につける of the date and time of this call. We were told her （人命などを）奪う，主張する had been 増大するd. 最高の，を越す 優先. Then nothing.

After a 特に obnoxious call centre man told us he always followed through his queries we took my mum to my sister's to を待つ his call 支援する (he gave us a date and time). He never called.

My sister, 全く fed up, called the Department for Work and 年金s and this is where it goes crazy. A lady told her on the phone that the （人命などを）奪う，主張する was even higher, £60,000, and could be even higher...!

My sister spent 45 minutes on that call 確認するing things. Even getting a 決裂／故障 of the 支払い（額） and a 言及／関連 number, but a letter didn't arrive.

Then a gentleman phoned, told us he'd worked for the DWP for 20 半端物 years and never seen a big payout, and 基本的に mum wasn't 予定 anything apart from a £400 支払い（額） the previous staff member had also talked about which we didn't really understand her explanation for.

So how have we gone from £24,000 to £60,00 to £400?!

Got a question for Steve Webb? Scroll 負かす／撃墜する to find out how to 接触する him

We were told it was high 優先 and someone would definitely phone 支援する to explain things as it had gone to the higher 経営者／支配人s. No call 支援する （機の）カム.

We have asked for copies of my mum's NI 記録，記録的な／記録するs 経由で the phone and in 令状ing. No copies of her NI have been received. We have asked for a copy of the 決裂／故障 letter of her large 支払い（額） that the staff member told us about. We have received no such copy.

We were told she could not have a 政府 Gateway account online as she doesn't have the 権利 ID proof, like a 運動ing licence and a パスポート, so no joy there to see her NI 支払い（額）s and 年金 詳細（に述べる）s for ourselves.

Although we have 力／強力にする of 弁護士／代理人／検事 共同で and severally (my sister, myself and my dad) and it has been 登録（する）d, another call centre person today at the DWP 辞退するd to let me speak on に代わって of my mum, 説 they can only speak to my sister.

I finally got through again today and spoke to yet another person who never even queried my 力／強力にする of 弁護士／代理人／検事 status, listened to my tale yet again then 削減（する） me off.

The one thing we have is that the call telling us the underpayment was £60,000 was 記録，記録的な／記録するd on my sister's camera 始める，決める up to 監視する her dogs. You can hear my sister やめる 明確に ask her to 確認する that 人物／姿／数字 as my sister thought she had misheard it.

This has 原因（となる）d my poor old mum so much 強調する／ストレス. Before we had the 力／強力にする of 弁護士／代理人／検事 登録（する）d we had to have her with us to 確認する we could speak on her に代わって. She is so 強調する／ストレスd now and 混乱させるd as she heard both the calls telling her of her large refund.

Is there any way 今後 with this?

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE YOUR PENSION QUESTION

Steve Webb replies: I was very 関心d to hear about the experiences your family has had since your mother was first 接触するd about 可能性のある gaps in her 国家の 保険 記録，記録的な／記録する.

Now that I have had chance to listen to a 記録，記録的な／記録するing of one of the calls, I am even more 関心d.

The background relates to a story we have written about before regarding the system f or 供給するing 保護 for the 国家の 保険 記録，記録的な／記録するs of parents at home bringing up children.

STEVE WEBB ANSWERS YOUR PENSION QUESTIONS

• Can I get my 私的な 年金 at 55 予定 to this bizarre birth year quirk?
• I'm struggling to 攻撃する，衝突する a tight 最終期限 to turn six 年金s into a £17,500-a-year annuity
• Why did DWP say my mum, 90, was 借りがあるd £60k in 明言する／公表する 年金 - when that was 誤った?
• How do I 跡をつける 負かす／撃墜する a long lost 年金? Steve Webb's five 最高の，を越す tips for finding old マリファナs
• Will 明言する／公表する 年金 become means 実験（する）d if you own 所有物／資産／財産 or have 私的な 年金s?
• I paid NI for 45 years so don't I get a 十分な 明言する／公表する 年金 - please explain?
• I'm 84 and don't have a 国家の 保険 number - can I get a 明言する／公表する 年金?
• I've got £213,000 in my 年金 マリファナ, what do I need to do before I 攻撃する，衝突する 75?
• I take £3k a year from my £50k 年金 マリファナ - should I buy an annuity?
• Can I stop an old 財政上の 助言者 taking £60 a month from my 年金?

? ? ? ?

This was 初めは known as 'Home 責任／義務s 保護' (HRP).

One challenge in 直す／買収する，八百長をするing 行方不明の HRP is that historical child 利益 記録，記録的な／記録するs have been destroyed.

So HM 歳入 and Customs (which 治めるs NI 記録，記録的な／記録するs) is 請け負うing a 大規模な 'fishing 探検隊／遠征隊' to try to find the parents who may have 行方不明になるd out. The letter your mother received was part of this 過程.

We have now 設立するd that when your mother first retired she 適用するd for a 明言する／公表する 年金 but was told she was not する権利を与えるd.

She only had eight years of NI 出資／貢献s with a 的 of 39 years for a 十分な 年金.

A 最小限 of 25 per cent of your working life was needed to qualify for any 年金 so she was turned 負かす／撃墜する.

Fortunately, いっそう少なく than a year later your father retired and your mother became する権利を与えるd to a 60 per cent 'married woman's 年金' based on his 出資／貢献s, which she has been receiving ever since.

It now turns out that she was wrongly 辞退するd a 年金 when she turned 60.

There were eight years of HRP 行方不明の on her 記録，記録的な／記録する and this would have 減ずるd her 的 for a 十分な 年金 from the 基準 39 years for a woman to 31 years.

With her eight years of actual 出資／貢献s this would have given her a 出資／貢献 記録，記録的な／記録する of 8/31 or 26 per cent - enough to qualify for a small 年金.

The DWP 受託するs that there is an underpayment here and has now paid your mother £438 in 年金 arrears.

It did however send your mother a 完全に baffling letter which seemed to 示唆する she was 予定 £438 per week which is 完全にする nonsense!

Given that your mother is now 90, you understanda bly 手配中の，お尋ね者 to know if these underpayments had been going on for １０年間s and you had to make repeated phone calls to the DWP to try to get a straight answer.

Shockingly, you were told on one call that the arrears could 量 to £24,000 and in another, the call handler 示唆するd it could be £60,000 or more.

You have told me that your mother would like to do more for her grandchildren and that a lump sum would be very helpful in this regard.

Unfortunately, it turns out that your mother is 借りがあるd nothing aside from the 初めの £438.

The 推論する／理由 for this is that since your father retired in 1994, your mother's 年金 has been based not on her own 国家の 保険 記録，記録的な／記録する but that of her husband.

Even with the HRP 正確に 追加するd, her own NI 記録，記録的な／記録する stands at just 26 per cent, compared with the 60 per cent she can receive instead by （人命などを）奪う，主張するing a married woman's 年金.

This means that the change to her NI 記録，記録的な／記録する only 影響する／感情s what she was する権利を与えるd to between her 60th birthday and her husband's 65th.

This raises the question as to why DWP staff （機の）カム up with such wildly 異なるing 人物／姿／数字s.

I don't 疑問 for a moment that they were trying to be helpful, but it seems that either they 簡単に didn't understand the 年金 system or that the （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状） they were looking at on their 審査するs was 混乱させるing.

Either way, they should not have raised your family's hopes by guessing at what the 権利 number would be.

When I put this to the DWP, a spokesperson said: 'We are very sorry for the errors 扱うing this 事例／患者 and for the service received by your reader, and we are working with her family on a 決意／決議.'

Whilst I'm afraid I don't think there is any chance of the DWP 支払う／賃金ing your mother the 人物／姿／数字s 引用するd on the phone, I do think that this is a 事例／患者 of 'maladministration' which has 原因（となる）d 苦しめる to your mother and inconvenience to the whole family.

If you hear no more from the DWP I would 服従させる／提出する a formal （民事の）告訴, not least to 改善する the training of the people who answer calls to make sure that they are much more careful in what they say in 未来.