State Pension LEAP Correction Exercise Guide 2026/27
Hundreds of thousands of mainly older women have been underpaid State Pension for years because an automatic increase they were entitled to was never applied. Here is who the DWP LEAP exercise covers and how to check if you are owed arrears.
What the LEAP Exercise Is
LEAP -- Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practices -- is an ongoing DWP exercise to review historic State Pension records and correct cases where an automatic increase someone was legally entitled to under the old (pre-2016) State Pension rules was never applied by DWP's systems. Where an underpayment is confirmed, DWP pays the arrears owed as a lump sum and corrects the person's ongoing weekly payment. The exercise has been running for several years and, by the DWP's own published progress reports, has identified very large sums owed across hundreds of thousands of cases, though the precise numbers are periodically updated as the review continues.
Who Is Mainly Affected
Three groups have been the focus of the exercise. First, married women receiving the old Basic State Pension on their own National Insurance record, which should have been automatically topped up to around 60% of their husband's Basic State Pension once he started claiming his own, if that was higher -- many were never given this automatic increase. Second, widows whose State Pension should have been reassessed and increased to reflect their late husband's National Insurance record after he died. Third, people over age 80 who should have been moved onto the non-contributory Category D State Pension (broadly equivalent to the full basic rate) if that would have paid more than their existing award, but were never switched over. All three groups relate to the old, pre-2016 State Pension system rather than the new State Pension.
How Much People Are Being Paid
Arrears amounts vary enormously depending on how long the error persisted and the size of the gap between what was paid and what should have been paid -- reported cases have ranged from small sums up to tens of thousands of pounds where an error ran uncorrected for many years. Because the figures are specific to each individual case and the exercise has been running for some time, check gov.uk or contact the Pension Service directly for the current published progress figures and how your own case might be assessed, rather than relying on any single reported average.
How to Check If You Are Owed Money
DWP has said it is proactively writing to people it can identify from its own records, so in most confirmed cases you should not need to make a formal claim yourself. That said, given the scale of the exercise and how long it has taken to work through, it is sensible to contact the Pension Service directly if you think you, your spouse, or a late spouse could be affected and you have not heard anything -- have your National Insurance number, and your spouse's or late spouse's National Insurance number and State Pension details, ready. Be alert to scam texts, emails or calls claiming to be about State Pension arrears and asking for bank details, a fee, or remote access to your computer: DWP does not charge to check or pay these corrections.
Claiming on Behalf of a Deceased Spouse
A significant share of those affected, particularly older widows, had already died before the underpayment was identified. An executor or next of kin can raise a query with the Pension Service on behalf of the estate, and any arrears confirmed as owing are generally payable to the estate, which may in turn affect how the estate is distributed or, in some circumstances, its Inheritance Tax position. If you are administering an estate for someone who may have been affected, it is worth raising this alongside the usual probate and estate administration steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DWP LEAP exercise?
LEAP stands for Legal Entitlements and Administrative Practices. It is an ongoing DWP correction exercise that reviews historic State Pension records to identify people -- overwhelmingly women -- who were underpaid because an automatic increase they were legally entitled to was never applied to their award, and who are then paid the arrears owed plus an increase to their ongoing weekly payment going forward.
Who is mainly affected by these State Pension underpayments?
Three main groups have been identified: married women (and some divorced or widowed women) reliant on their spouse's National Insurance record who should have had their old (pre-2016) Basic State Pension automatically increased to 60% of their spouse's rate when he started claiming, but were not; widows whose pension should have been reassessed and increased following their husband's death; and people aged over 80 who should have been moved onto the non-contributory Category D State Pension (roughly the basic amount) if that was higher than what they were receiving, but never were.
Does LEAP apply to the new State Pension?
No. The specific automatic-uprating rules involved in the LEAP exercise apply to the old, pre-2016 State Pension system (Basic State Pension plus any Additional State Pension or Graduated Retirement Benefit), not to the new State Pension introduced for people reaching State Pension age from 6 April 2016 onwards, which is worked out under different rules. If you reached State Pension age before April 2016, or you rely on a pre-2016 spouse-based award, you are within scope of the exercise.
Show 5 more questionsShow fewer questions
How much are people typically being paid in arrears?
Amounts vary hugely depending on how long the error ran for and the gap between what was paid and what should have been paid, ranging from a few hundred pounds to, in some cases reported publicly, tens of thousands of pounds where an error persisted for many years. DWP has been writing to people it can identify from its own records, but the exercise has taken years to complete and some cases have needed manual tracing, so not everyone affected has necessarily been contacted yet.
Do I need to claim, or will DWP contact me automatically?
DWP has said it is proactively identifying and contacting people it believes are affected using its own records, so in most confirmed cases you do not need to make a formal claim. However, given the scale and complexity of the exercise and the years it has taken to work through, it is worth proactively contacting the Pension Service yourself if you think you or a late spouse might be affected and you have not heard anything, rather than assuming you have been checked and cleared.
What if my late husband or wife may have been underpaid?
Executors or next of kin can raise a query with the Pension Service on behalf of a deceased person's estate, and any arrears found owing are generally payable to the estate. This has been a significant part of the exercise, since some of those most affected -- particularly older widows -- had already died by the time the underpayment was identified.
How do I check if I might be owed money?
Contact the Pension Service directly (the gov.uk 'Contact the Pension Service' page has current phone and postal details) with your National Insurance number and, where relevant, your spouse's or late spouse's National Insurance number and State Pension claim details. Do not respond to unsolicited texts, emails or calls claiming to be about State Pension arrears and asking for bank details or a fee -- DWP does not charge to check or pay these corrections, and this exercise has attracted scam attempts.
Is this the same as the Home Responsibilities Protection correction exercise?
No, these are two separate DWP/HMRC correction exercises running in parallel. The LEAP exercise concerns automatic spouse-based, widowhood and over-80 upratings that were never applied. The Home Responsibilities Protection exercise concerns missing National Insurance credits on people's records from years when they claimed Child Benefit before May 2000 without a National Insurance number recorded, which affects how many qualifying years they have. It is possible, though not guaranteed, for the same person to be affected by both.
Disclaimer: This is general information, not personalised financial or legal advice. LEAP correction figures, timelines and progress are updated periodically by DWP. Check current gov.uk guidance or contact the Pension Service directly to confirm your own position.
