Eligible older retirees can claim a cash boost from the DWP
The Category D State Pension was given a 4.8% uplift on April 6 (Image: Getty)
Older state pensioners aged 80 or over can get boosted payments of up to £479 on average this July from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with a single claim.
The cash comes from the Category D non-contributory pension, also known as the “over 80 pension”, which is available to people aged 80 and over. This pension is to support those who get a basic State Pension of less than £110.75 per week, or no basic State Pension at all, and according to the DWP, it can give claimants £110.75 per week in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. The benefit was uplifted by 4.8% at the start of this tax year on April 6, taking the weekly rate from £105.70 up to its current level of £110.75.
Over a full year, this amounts to a maximum of £5,757 in over 80 pension payments which, when averaged out across a 12 month period works out to an average of £479.92 per month if you get the full amount.
So people turning 80 in July who have no basic State Pension, or a basic State Pension of less than £110.75, can submit a claim to the DWP and start benefiting from the 2026-27 uplift from this month.
The DWP says the earliest you can claim is three months before your 80th birthday and you cannot get the over 80 pension if you reached State Pension age on or after April 6, 2016.
Older pensioners are eligible to claim the Category D pension if they get a basic State Pension of less than £110.75 per week, or have no basic State Pension at all.
It is not a separate weekly payment, but rather a top-up to your existing basic State Pension, which is usually paid every four weeks.
As such, older pensioners who are entitled to claim it can top up their weekly payments up to £110.75 per week under the new rates, giving their pension pot a welcome boost.
If you’re eligible to claim the over 80 pension, the amount you’ll get from the DWP per week depends on how much basic State Pension you get (if any), but if it’s less than £110.75, you can get the difference paid up to this amount.
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 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 schemes, 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.