The over 80 pension is now worth up to £443 every four weeks (Image: Getty)
State pensioners aged 80 and over can get up to £443 extra cash every four weeks with a single claim to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The DWP pays an ‘over 80 pension’ for those aged 80 and over who get a basic State Pension of less than £110.75 per week, or have no basic State Pension at all. You’ll get the basic State Pension if you are a man born before April 6, 1951, or a woman born before April 6, 1953, and following a 4.8% uprating this month, it’s now worth £184.90 per week, which works out to a maximum of £9,64.80 annually if you get the full amount.
Anyone with less than the full number of qualifying NI years will get a basic State Pension of less than £184.90 per week from April 6 – and if your weekly payments are less than £110.75, eligible pensioners can top up their income by claiming the over-80 pension.
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The over-80 pension, also known as Category D – non-contributory pension, 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, it means older pensioners entitled to the over-80 pension can get their payments topped up to £110.75 per week under the new April rates, amounting to a pension boost of up to a maximum of £443 every four weeks from the DWP.
If you’re eligible, the amount you’ll get 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 explains: “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. The earliest you can claim is three months before your 80th birthday.
You cannot get the over-80 pension if you reached State Pension age on or after April 6, 2016.
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.
The uplift to the over-80 pension from April 6 comes as both the basic and new State Pensions rose by 4.8% in line with the triple lock.
The DWP said the Government’s commitment to the triple lock means pensioners’ incomes will rise by up to £2,100 over this Parliament, and this year’s uprating will help millions across the UK facing cost-of-living pressures.
Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said: “After a lifetime of work and contribution, people deserve a decent retirement. Raising the State Pensions faster than prices, ensuring it is a pension they can rely on, is how we make that a reality for millions.”