Older state pensioners given extra £5,759 DWP boost from April 6 | Personal Finance | Finance

Older state pensioners can get a cash boost of up to £5,759 extra per year from April 6 with a single claim to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The DWP pays an ‘over 80 pension‘ to eligible retirees aged 80 or over who have a basic State Pension of less than £105.70 per week (or £110.75 from April 6), or no basic State Pension at all. You’ll get the basic State Pension if you’re a man born before April 6, 1951, or a woman born before April 6, 1953, and from Monday, the full rate is worth £184.90 per week. The over 80 pension, also known as Category D – non-contributory pension, is also rising at the start of the new tax year, giving eligible pensioners an extra £5.05 per week.

So from Monday, pensioners over 80 whose weekly State Pension payments are less than £110.75 can top up their earnings by claiming the over 80 pension.

The over 80 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.

It means that pensioners entitled to the over 80 pension can get up to £110.75 per week from the DWP from April 6 to boost their pension pot, which amounts to an extra £5,759 per year.

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 per week you could get the difference paid up to this amount.

So claiming this pension can give you up to £110.75 every week in the 2026 to 2027 tax year, or £5,759 annually, which amounts to an overall boost of up to £262.60 extra per year compared to last year’s rates.

But this 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 from April 6, you must be aged 80 or over, have a basic State Pension of less than £110.75 per week in the 2026/27 tax year, and have been a UK resident for at least 10 years out of a 20-year period.

This period 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.

Unlike the basic and new State Pension schemes, 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 apply for the scheme by requesting a claim 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.

Commenting on the State Pension upratings from April 6 this week, the DWP said: “The Government has already delivered above-inflation increases worth up to £395 in real terms over this Parliament. By its end, pensioners’ annual incomes are expected to rise by up to £2,100 – boosting financial security for millions.

“Pension Credit will also rise by 4.8% and be worth an average of £4,300 a year, unlocking further support including help with housing costs, council tax and free television licenses. Between 2026 and 2027, the government will provide a £6 billion boost to spending on State Pensions and pensioner benefits.”