Does the State Pension increase when you turn 80?

Does the State Pension increase at 80? Only by 25p a week on some pensions, though the Over 80 pension can lift a very small pension to £110.75 a week.

Turning 80 does not raise the State Pension in any large way. There is a small, fixed addition for people on the older basic State Pension, and a separate payment for people aged 80 or over who have little or no basic State Pension of their own. Which of these applies to you depends on when you reached State Pension age. Nobody needs an adviser to claim a payment at 80; the form on this page suits anyone wanting an FCA-authorised adviser to talk their later-life income over with them by phone, free.

Does the State Pension go up when you turn 80?

On the older State Pension it goes up by 25p a week. The law gives this "age addition" to a person over 80 who is "entitled to a retirement pension of any category" under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 (section 79, read 29 October 2026). The Government Actuary's report on the 2026 up-rating order puts it this way: "Pensioners in receipt of Category A or B basic State Pensions receive an increase of 25p per week on reaching age 80 (the Age Addition)." The same report gives the identical wording for Category BL pensions, which are the lower-rate ones based on a spouse's or civil partner's record (Government Actuary's report on the 2026 up-rating order, accessed 29 October 2026).

The figure did not rise this year. DWP's benefit and pension rates table lists "Addition at age 80" at 0.25 in both the 2025/26 and 2026/27 columns, while the basic pension beside it went from £176.45 to £184.90 a week (DWP, Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, accessed 29 October 2026). So the addition is real, but it is tiny beside the pension it sits on, and nobody should plan their budget around it.

The basic State Pension is the older scheme, which GOV.UK says is for a "man born before 6 April 1951" or a "woman born before 6 April 1953"; anyone born later claims the new State Pension instead (GOV.UK, The basic State Pension, accessed 29 October 2026). The two schemes are compared on the new State Pension versus the old one.

Do you get anything at 80 on the new State Pension?

No. Section 79 limits the 25p to a retirement pension under the 1992 Act, and the new State Pension is a separate benefit: the Pensions Act 2014 says "This Part creates a benefit called state pension" and that anyone reaching pensionable age before 6 April 2016 is not entitled to it (Pensions Act 2014, section 1, read 29 October 2026). What the new State Pension does have is the yearly rise: GOV.UK sets its yearly rise at the highest of three measures: earnings growth, CPI prices growth, or 2.5%. Your age is not one of them (GOV.UK, The new State Pension, accessed 29 October 2026). The full new rate is £241.30 a week according to GOV.UK, for 2026/27. How the April rise works, and what your own record earns, are covered on the State Pension rate page.

So on the new State Pension, turning 80 changes nothing in the weekly amount. If money at 80 looks tighter than you hoped, an adviser can weigh up your other pensions and savings with you on a free call, which you can book through the enquiry form.

What is the Over 80 pension (Category D)?

It is a State Pension for people aged 80 or over, and it tops up a small basic pension rather than adding to a large one. The Government Actuary's report calls it "the Category D “Over 80 Pension”". GOV.UK says it "can give you £110.75 a week in the 2026 to 2027 tax year" (GOV.UK, Over 80 pension, accessed 29 October 2026). DWP's rates table shows the Category D rate as £105.70 a week for 2025/26 and £110.75 for 2026/27.

What you could get is the difference between your own basic pension and that figure. GOV.UK's 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" (GOV.UK, Over 80 pension: What you'll get). If you get no basic pension at all, it can be the full £110.75.

Who qualifies for the Over 80 pension, and what is the residence test?

You must be 80 or over and receive either no basic State Pension or less than £110.75 a week in 2026/27. The residence test has two parts. GOV.UK says you were "resident in the UK for at least 10 years out of 20 (this does not have to be 10 years in a row)", with that 20-year period including "the day before you turned 80 or any day after". You must also have been "‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar" on your 80th birthday or the date you claimed, if later (GOV.UK, Over 80 pension: Eligibility, accessed 29 October 2026).

Two further points matter. It is not built on National Insurance, since eligibility "is not based on National Insurance contributions". And it is closed to anyone who hit State Pension age from 6 April 2016 onwards, so it cannot help someone on the new State Pension. In practice it is for people who reached that age before then and have a small basic State Pension or none.

How do you claim it?

You claim it with a claim form. GOV.UK says you can get one from your local Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service, and "the earliest you can claim is 3 months before your 80th birthday". The Pension Service number is 0800 731 7898, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, except public holidays (GOV.UK, Over 80 pension: How to claim, accessed 29 October 2026).

GOV.UK lists the over 80 pension among the subjects the Pension Service answers questions on (GOV.UK, Contact the Pension Service, accessed 29 October 2026), so a call is the quickest way to find out whether your own basic pension is below the line. It is worth asking before you assume you are out: the test looks at your basic State Pension, and eligibility "is not based on National Insurance contributions", so a thin record does not by itself rule you out. A relative helping with the call can find the contact routes on the main State Pension guide. If your circumstances are more tangled, for example years spent abroad, a short enquiry through the page's form gets an adviser to ring you and talk it through alongside your other income.

If your income is low, Pension Credit is a separate route that is worked out differently; see who gets Pension Credit.

Smaller questions about pensions for the over 80s

How much does the State Pension increase at age 80?

By 25p a week on a retirement pension under the 1992 Act, which covers the basic State Pension and the Over 80 pension, and not at all on the new State Pension. DWP's 2026/27 table shows no change in the 25p from the year before.

Is the Over 80 pension paid on top of the full basic State Pension?

No. It only fills the gap up to £110.75 a week, so someone on the full basic pension of £184.90 a week is already above that line.

Can I get the Over 80 pension if I get the new State Pension?

No. GOV.UK rules it out if you hit State Pension age from 6 April 2016 onwards, which is the new State Pension group. The other routes for a low income are covered on the State Pension guide.

Do I need to claim the 25p addition?

The law makes it an increase of your existing pension rather than a separate benefit. If your payment has not changed after your 80th birthday, the Pension Service on 0800 731 7898 can check it.

Does anything else rise for the over 80s?

The yearly April rise applies to everyone on the State Pension whatever their age. An adviser can talk through what else may be open to you at that age if you ask for a ring-back through the enquiry form.