The consumer expert has warned that the ‘door shuts forever’ if people affected don’t take action in time – here’s what you need to do
10:01, 09 Mar 2026Updated 15:23, 09 Mar 2026
Martin Lewis has issued a warning to people aged 40 to 73(Image: ITV)
Martin Lewis has issued an urgent warning for people aged between 40 and 73. He is urging anyone in that age group to check one crucial detail which could increase their pensions by over £10,000.
He also warned that failing to take action by 5 April will mean the “door shuts forever”. Taking to X, he previously stated: “Pls share. If someone hasn’t checked this yet and is between the age of 40 and 73.
“Without exaggeration it could be worth £10,000s, so check. If you miss it now the door shuts forever on 5 April.” This comes as the financial guru recently spoke about another pension matter that could potentially see people lose out on thousands of pounds, as reported by ChronicleLive.
A new update on the Money Saving Expert site said the chance was for men born after 5 April 1951 (currently aged up to 74) and women born after 5 April 1953 (currently up to 72). Those born earlier are on the old State Pension, so this doesn’t apply, it added.
Martin revealed last year on his ITV programme that approximately 200,000 people had the ‘wrong’ individual claiming child benefit – suggesting they could have lost out on years of National Insurance contributions, potentially resulting in a reduced state pension. To receive the full new State Pension (£230.25 per week in 2025/26), a person typically needs 35 qualifying National Insurance (NI) years.
You must have at least 10 years to receive any state pension. If you have gaps or fewer than 35 years, you can make voluntary contributions to boost the amount.
During the show, a pensioner recounted his remarkable success story of boosting his pension by £32,000 after following advice from the financial guru. Viewer Gabriel had uncovered a major error with child benefit claims that had impacted his National Insurance credits and, as a result, his pension, reports the Mirror.
Co-presenter Jeanette Kwakye read out Gabriel’s message: “Gabriel’s been in touch. After watching your show about pensions, I realised I have about 14 years of shortfall. I asked for my wife’s child benefit, national insurance credits to be transferred to my name, and I received 11 years of credit increasing my pension by over 60 pounds a week.”
Gabriel remarked: “If I live 10 years after pension age, I’ll get an extra £32,000. So thank you so much.”
Martin then suggested the financial benefit could potentially be even greater if Gabriel lives longer, explaining: ” Of course, typical life expectancy once you take your pension is double that, so it could be 60 grand”.
He also drew attention to a wider problem, observing: “There are, I believe, 200,000 people in the country who had the wrong parent claim child benefit. Because what happens is if you’re working, you get national insurance credits that go towards your pension. And if you’re looking after a child, you also get national insurance pen credits.
“But if you have one working parent and one non-working parent, and the working parent is the one who claims child benefit, then they’re already getting it from working. So they don’t need it from childcare. And the other one isn’t getting so that transfer will be that he was earning less than the threshold to get national insurance credits. She was earning over it. He should have been claiming he wasn’t so they’ve transferred it. £32,000. 200,000 people in that situation. It’s worth looking at that. That is brilliant.”
Claiming Child Benefit enables someone who has stopped working to look after children to accumulate national insurance (NI) credits, which are essential for qualifying for the full state pension. If the incorrect person, namely the higher earner, claims it, the lower earner could forfeit a substantial amount of state pension.
The Money Saving Expert site advises: “If you (or your partner) are not working, or earning less than £123 a week, claiming Child Benefit lets you earn NI credits you wouldn’t otherwise have earned. So it’s crucial you apply, even if one partner’s income means you’ll have to pay back some or all of the Child Benefit payment. New Child Benefit claims can currently only be backdated by three months, so apply ASAP.” For more information, visit MSE here.
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