Older state pensioners aged 80 and over can get up to £5,759 extra per year from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to boost their State Pension with a single claim.
The DWP pays an 'over 80 pension' to eligible retirees who get a basic State Pension of less than £110.75 per week, or have no basic State Pension at all. Everyone eligible for the basic State Pension has now reached State Pension age and you'll get it if you're a man born before April 6, 1951, or a woman born before April 6, 1953.
Basic State Pension rates and eligibility
In the 2026 to 2027 tax year, the full basic State Pension is worth £184.90 per week, but to get this you'll need enough qualifying National Insurance years. For men born between 1945 and 1951, this will usually be 30 qualifying years, or 44 qualifying years if you were born between 1945 and 1951. As for women, those born between 1950 and 1953 usually need 30 qualifying years and those born before 1950 need 39 years.
If you get less than £184.90 in State Pension payments per week then this will be due to having fewer than the required number of qualifying National Insurance years, or because you were contracted out of the additional State Pension. But if your weekly payments are less than £110.75 per week, you may be entitled to claim a top-up from the DWP.
How the over 80 pension works
The 'over 80 pension' – also known as a Category D State Pension – is paid to eligible older pensioners aged 80 and over who are on a low income. The pension was uplifted by 4.8% on April 6 taking the weekly rate up to £110.75 for the 2026/27 tax year, up from £105.70 per week previously. So those entitled to the maximum amount could get up to £5,759 per year from the DWP to boost their income.
Of course, the exact amount you'll get depends on your individual circumstances, but if your basic State Pension is less than £110.75 per week then you'll get the difference paid up to this amount.
Claiming the top-up
The DWP said: “What you get depends on how much basic State Pension you get, if any. If you do not get the basic State Pension or you get less than £110.75 a week, you could get the difference paid up to this amount.
“For example, you’re 80 years old and you get £45 a week basic State Pension, your basic State Pension may be topped up by £66.75 to £110.75 a week.”
The over 80 pension is only available to people aged 80 or over and you can’t claim it if you reached State Pension age on or after April 6, 2016. To be eligible, you must have been a UK resident for at least 10 years out of a 20 year period, which must include the day before you turned 80 or any day after, or you were ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar on your 80th birthday, or the date you submitted your claim for the over 80 pension.
Unlike the basic and new State Pension, your eligibility for the over 80 pension isn’t based on National Insurance contributions. Claimants should also note that the over 80 pension counts as taxable income, so if you’re claiming any other benefits these could be affected.
You can claim the pension top-up by requesting a form from your local Jobcentre Plus, or by calling the Pension Service on 0800 731 7898. The earliest you can submit a claim is up to three months before your 80th birthday, or any time after.
