State pension: Those aged 80 or over may boost payments by over £80 a week – full details

State pension payments are usually based on a person’s National Insurance record but there is a number of ways to boost the payments under certain conditions. For retirees on the basic state pension of a certain age, it could be possible to raise the income by over £80 a week.

To claim an over 80 pension, a person will need to contact either a pension centre or a local Jobcentre Plus.

The earliest it can be claimed is up to three months before their 80th birthday.

It should be noted the over 80 pension will count as taxable income, meaning it could affect a person’s other benefits.

Additionally, a change in circumstances could affect a person’s eligibility.

Further information can be sought on the over 80 pension from the government’s official pension service.

Basic state pension itself can be received by men born before April 1951 or women born before April 6 1953.

To get the full amount from a basic state pension a minimum of 30 years of National Insurance contributions will be needed.

Currently, the most that can be received from a basic state pension is £134.25 per week.