DWP letter from years ago could hold key to £100k payout - Britons urged to look for 'relevant proof'

Those who manage to find old DWP letters or bank statements showing pension payment amounts could receive significant payouts.

This offers hope to thousands of families who feared they had lost the chance to claim what their deceased relatives were owed.

Many had been told investigations were abandoned due to deleted records.

Many elderly women died while unwittingly being underpaid untold sums by the DWP.

Payouts to affected families have ranged from a few hundred pounds to more than £100,000 in some cases.

Relatives who have waited years to find out whether their late mothers missed out on state pension payments are now being told by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that their cases will not be investigated further.

The decision follows the department's policy — in place until January 2021 — of routinely destroying pension records several years after the death of a claimant and their surviving spouse.

Many families have reacted with frustration and disbelief, calling the situation "a disgrace" and "a total sham."

According to Liberal Democrat Work and Pensions spokesman Steve Darling, the DWP has acknowledged that around 2,500 families are affected by the deletion of pre-2021 data.

He said: "It’s deeply troubling that families are being told the DWP can’t check because records have supposedly been deleted.

"Bereaved families deserve transparency and a fair chance to ensure their relatives received what they were entitled to."

He added that it is "a step forward" that the DWP has agreed to consider claims based on documentation provided by the family, such as original letters or bank statements.

The policy of deleting records was paused after widespread errors were uncovered in state pension records, prompting a major correction programme.

Relatives hoping to have a case reopened will now need to search for their own evidence.

The DWP has advised that unless it receives documentation such as past correspondence or payment records, it cannot re-examine the claim.

Families are encouraged to check whether they or other relatives may have retained letters or bank statements that could help support a review.

Next of kin or executors of recently deceased parents may be able to request statements from their bank, building society, or Post Office Card Account.

Steve Webb, a partner at pension consultant LCP, said: "It is immensely frustrating for people who registered details of a loved one to be kept waiting years for a response, only to be told that records have been deleted.

"If you are tracking down old bank statements for a late relative, it would be most useful to narrow it down to the months just before and after their spouse reached state pension age, or just before and after their spouse died.

To check for underpayments, families should try to find figures showing what their mother received before and after their father retired or passed away.

They should also note whether the pension amount changed when she turned 80, if applicable.

These figures can be compared with official state pension rates at the time to identify potential underpayments.

A DWP spokesperson says: "We always encourage next of kin and representatives of deceased customers to contact us if they have relevant proof such as historic letters from the department so we may be able to review the customer's state pension award."

The spokesperson added that the department continues to work through outstanding cases, with 857,050 cases reviewed as of September 2024.

Webb urges the DWP to communicate clearly that they will still consider evidence of underpayments.