"I wish to let you know that you will receive a cheque for €30,000 in respect of arrears of pension entitlement due for the period 2010 to 2015.”

Noel Leahy, an adviser from Donohill, Co Tipperary, sent me the letter that one farmer he was dealing with had received from social welfare. It was to highlight that many people could be losing out on entitlements they are due.

The farmer that received repayment was born in 1927. Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions for old-age pensions started in 1988. It meant that he had only five years’ contributions paid when he reached the retirement age of 66. Because 10 years of contributions were needed for a full pension, the farmer was only given half the contributory pension – €115 a week.

However, when his wife died in 2009, it meant that the farmer was then entitled to a full widow’s pension of €230 a year. He did not realise he was eligible for it though.

“Because his wife had never made any PRSI payments herself, the situation went unnoticed until the farmer contacted me. I filled out the form and, because his wife died before 2012, they simply paid all the arrears that were due,” said Noel.

The farmer is also getting an additional €115 a week, or nearly €6,000 a year, going forward.

Noel has come across many similar cases, with some people receiving arrears of over €50,000. He feels there must be hundreds across the country missing out due to the same circumstances.

The specific situation that keeps arising is in regards to men born between 1927 and 1932 and where their wives died before 2012. It means they were unable to pay more than five years of contributions between 1988 when the PRSI was first introduced and when they reached 66. Changes to previous claims since 2012 mean that you will only get six months in arrears if you were found to have been entitled to a pension and did not receive it.

Noel has found that there are many cases where people are not getting all the entitlements they are due.

“Many rural dwellers are not familiar with the conditions governing the range of social welfare schemes. They can be complicated,” he said.

I have featured Noel and the work he has done on the Money Mentor pages in the past. He has given examples of situations where people are missing out. Noel started out by just helping a few local people with their application, but he has now launched a private service to assist people with claims, especially where they have missed out in the past.

People can also go directly to their local social welfare office and the Citizens Information, which will provide good information free of charge.

The other issue that Noel highlighted is where women have not received the years they are entitled to for the homemaker’s scheme. Under the homemaker’s scheme, any years that you spent as a homemaker, since 6 April 1994, are ignored or disregarded when working out your yearly average contributions for a contributory state pension.

“This is becoming much more important now that the old-age pension is divided up into six bands. Disregarding the years under the homemaking scheme could help someone get into a higher band, which would be worth a lot over their lifetime,” said Noel.

In one case recently, the years had not been allocated and when it was finalised that person received €11/more per week.

“It might not seem like much, but it can add up to a lot if you live until you’re 90 years,” he said.

The other route some farming families have gone down to get backdated PRSI contributions is where the wife is set up as a partnership retrospectively.

Noel has successfully dealt with a number of such cases and, while it is possible, he finds them difficult to get though as there is strict criteria.

Recent changes means it is easier for spouses to pay PRSI once they are assigned a minimum of €5,000 reckonable income from the farm. This enables them to pay €500 in PRSI contributions to get credits of 52 weeks for each year.

“This is one thing that every farmer, where both work on the farm, should look at,” Noel said.

He is also coming across a lot of situations where people are not getting all they are entitled to under the household benefits scheme. This might be anything from the television and ESB allowance, worth €650 per annum, to the living alone supplement of €400 which is not means-tested.

“The fuel allowance, which is means-tested, can be worth €500 a year, so they all add up,” said Noel.

There has been a lot of cuts to the different benefits in recent budgets. However, getting them can make a big difference to many people. He has also talked to many people who are concerned about medical card reviews as they find them very complicated.

“What I am finding is that people are not as badly affected as they think. Some people with money on deposit don’t realise that it is the interest that is only taken into the account, not the lump sum. With interest very low, it means it does not impact on the situation,” he said. CL