{"id":104679,"date":"2025-02-22T14:42:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T14:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=104679"},"modified":"2025-02-22T14:42:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T14:42:42","slug":"dwp-over-80s-pension-who-eligible-how-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/dwp-over-80s-pension-who-eligible-how-claim\/","title":{"rendered":"DWP Over 80s Pension : Who Is Eligible and How to Claim Extra Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\nThe Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)<\/strong> provides a financial safety net for millions of pensioners in the UK. \n\n\n\n\n\nAccording to Manchester Evening News<\/strong><\/a>, the State Pension currently supports 12.9 million elderly individuals<\/strong> across the country, ensuring a steady source of income for those who have reached the UK Government\u2019s stipulated retirement age. \n\n\n\n\n\nHowever, many individuals over the age of 80 may be unaware that they could be entitled to additional financial support. The Over 80 Pension<\/strong> and Pension Credit<\/strong> could offer a substantial boost to those receiving a low state pension or no pension at all.\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is the Over 80 Pension?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Over 80 Pension<\/strong> is a government-provided payment aimed at individuals aged 80 or older who have little or no Basic State Pension<\/a><\/strong>. Currently, the scheme offers a weekly payment of \u00a3101.55<\/strong>, which is either provided in full or used to top up an individual’s current pension to this amount.\n\n\n\n\n\nUnlike the standard State Pension<\/strong>, eligibility for the Over 80 Pension does not depend on National Insurance contributions<\/strong>. This means individuals who did not make sufficient contributions throughout their working life could still qualify for this additional support.\n\n\n\n\n\n

Who Can Apply?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\nTo be eligible for the Over 80 Pension, individuals must be 80 or older<\/strong> and have been ordinarily resident<\/strong> in the UK, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar when they turned 80 or at the time of applying. \n\n\n\n\n\nThey must either not receive the Basic State Pension<\/strong> or receive less than \u00a3101.55 per week<\/strong>. Additionally, they must have lived in the UK for at least 10 years out of the last 20 years<\/strong>, although these years do not have to be consecutive.\n\n\n\n\n\nPeople who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016<\/strong>, and qualify for the New State Pension<\/strong>, are not eligible for the Over 80 Pension. At present, the State Pension<\/strong> is being paid to 12.9 million people<\/strong> across the UK.\n\n\n\n\n\n

Pension Credit: Additional Financial Support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\nIndividuals over 80 who are on a low income<\/a> may also be eligible for Pension Credit<\/strong>, which provides an average of \u00a34,200 in financial aid annually<\/strong>. \n\n\n\n\n\nPension Credit ensures that weekly income is topped up to a guaranteed minimum level of \u00a3218.15 per week for single pensioners<\/strong> and \u00a3332.95 per week for couples<\/strong>.\n\n\n\n\n\nEven a small award of \u00a31 per week<\/strong> can open access to additional benefits. Pension Credit recipients can receive help with NHS costs<\/a><\/strong>, including dental treatment, glasses, and transport for hospital appointments. \n\n\n\n\n\nThey may also be eligible for a free TV licence<\/strong> if they are aged 75 or over. Further support includes Council Tax discounts<\/strong>, Housing Benefit<\/strong> for those who rent, and Support for Mortgage Interest<\/strong> for homeowners. \n\n\n\n\n\nPensioners can also receive help with heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme<\/strong>, the Winter Fuel Payment<\/strong>, and the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment<\/strong>.\n\n\n\n\n\nStarting this year, the Winter Fuel Payment<\/strong> of \u00a3300<\/strong> for those over 80 will only be available to individuals receiving Pension Credit<\/strong> or other income-related benefits.\n\n\n\n\n\n

How to Apply for the Over 80 Pension<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\nEligible individuals can apply for the Over 80 Pension<\/strong> by obtaining an application form from their local Jobcentre Plus<\/strong> or the Pension Service<\/strong>. The earliest a person can apply is three months before their 80th birthday<\/strong>. \n\n\n\n\n\nApplications can be made by calling the Pension Service helpline<\/strong> at 0800 731 7898<\/strong>. Full details are available on GOV.UK<\/a><\/strong>.\n\n\n\n\n\nTo check eligibility for Pension Credit<\/strong>, individuals or their family members can use the Pension Credit calculator<\/strong> available on GOV.UK<\/a><\/strong>. Claims can also be made by calling the Pension Credit helpline<\/strong> at 0800 99 1234<\/strong>, which is open Monday to Friday from 8 am to 6 pm.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thousands of pensioners over 80 could be missing out on extra cash from the DWP. Find out if you’re eligible for the Over 80 Pension and how to claim it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":104681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104679"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104682,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104679\/revisions\/104682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}