Hundreds of thousands of women could be missing out on £1,000s of state pension payouts.

Money Saving Expert's Martin Lewis has warned more than 230,000 could have been underpaid and are due an average payout of £6,000.

Married women who hit state pension age before April 2016 are being urged to check if they are owed money, with the government already paying out £106 million in underpayments to more than 15,000 women.

How do I know if I am owed money?

The Government is currently reviewing pension records to find people that should have received an automatic uplift in their pension but didn't.

Before April 2016, married women were given a portion of their husband's state pension. This has since changed so women who hit state pension age before then could be entitled to a boosted pension amount.

However, some groups won't automatically get their pensions topped up and they should urgently check to make sure they don't miss out.

You should check if you are:

1. A married women who hit state pension age before April 2016 and:

  • Your state pension is less than 60pc of your husband's state pension
  • Your husband turned 65 before 17 March 2008

If you are in this group, the boosted payment was not automatic and you needed to claim it. However, many women did not know this.

2. Women who got divorced after reaching state pension age

If you're a woman who's reached state pension age, was married and is now divorced, you can substitute the national insurance record of your ex-husband for your own up to the date of your divorce (provided you didn't remarry before you reached state pension age), according to Money Saving Expert.

This means you may be eligible for an increased state pension, potentially up to 100pc (£141.85 a week in 2022/23).

Women who divorced after reaching state pension age will not get an automatic top-up – instead you will need to make a claim.

3. If you are a married woman and:

  • You hit state pension age before April 2016
  • You're on zero basic state pension
  • Your husband turned 65 before 17 March 2008.

Women in this group need to be on zero basic state pension to qualify, but that can include those who are on zero basic state pension but receive a small amount of additional state pension.

If you're in this group and you're getting less than 60pc of your husband's basic state pension, you're entitled to a boost up to that 60pc figure.

4. If you're the heir of a woman who was underpaid state pension while alive and has since died

It's possible to claim on behalf of a woman who's died, if she was underpaid state pension while she was alive, according to Money Saving Expert.

This could apply to any of the categories mentioned, for example was a widow whose pension wasn't increased when her husband died.

How to check if you're owed and claim your payout

You can check if you have been underpaid and are owed money by contacting the Pension Service and ask about your situation.