State pensioners are being handed an extra £262 a year under the category D state pension from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This payment is available to people who are 80 years old or over and resident in the UK.
What is the category D state pension?
The category D state pension rose by 4.8 per cent to £110.77 per week in April 2026. However, if you already receive more than that amount, the extra payment is not added on top. The over-80s additional payment remains frozen at 25p.
Who can claim the over 80 pension?
You can claim the over 80 pension if you are 80 or over and you do not get the basic State Pension, or your basic State Pension is less than £110.75 a week in the 2026 to 2027 tax year. Eligibility is not based on National Insurance contributions.
To qualify, you must have been resident in the UK for at least 10 years out of a 20-year period. This does not have to be 10 consecutive years. The 20-year period must include the day before you turned 80 or any day after. Alternatively, you must have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, the Isle of Man, or Gibraltar on your 80th birthday or the date you made the claim, if later.
How much will you get?
What you receive depends on how much basic State Pension you already get, if any. If you do not get the basic State Pension or you receive less than £110.75 a week, you could get the difference paid up to this amount.
The DWP provides an example: "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."
Remember, the over 80 pension is a State Pension for people aged 80 or over. To be eligible, you must receive either a basic State Pension of less than £110.75 a week, or no basic State Pension at all. It can provide you with £110.75 a week in the 2026 to 2027 tax year.
