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Additional State Pension

The Additional State Pension is the earnings-related top-up paid on top of the basic State Pension to people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. It exists in two named forms: the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme (SERPS), which ran from 1978 to 2002, and its replacement the State Second Pension (S2P), which ran from 2002 to 2016. People who were employed and earning above the lower earnings limit during those periods built up entitlement automatically. [source: gov-uk/additional-state-pension-2026-04-29.html]

A surviving spouse or civil partner can inherit a portion of the deceased's Additional State Pension. The proportion depends on which scheme accrued the entitlement and when the deceased died:

  • State Second Pension (S2P): up to 50% of the deceased's S2P entitlement is inheritable.
  • SERPS, deceased died before 6 October 2002: up to 100% inheritable.
  • SERPS, deceased died on or after 6 October 2002: between 50% and 100%, on a sliding scale tied to the deceased's date of birth — 100% for those born on or before 5 October 1937 (men) / 5 October 1942 (women), tapering down to 50% for those born from 6 October 1945 (men) / 6 July 1950 (women) onwards. [source: gov-uk/additional-state-pension-2026-04-29.html]

There is also a cap on the total Additional State Pension a survivor can receive on top of their own. For the 2025–26 tax year this cap is £230.54 per week, applied to the combined entitlement (the survivor's own plus any inherited element). Amounts above the cap are not paid. [source: gov-uk/additional-state-pension-2026-04-29.html]

People who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016 are paid under the new flat-rate State Pension and do not accrue Additional State Pension going forward, although protected amounts of pre-2016 SERPS or S2P entitlement carry across into their new-system pension. The inheritance rules for the new system are tighter and most survivors inherit nothing additional.

Inherited Additional State Pension is paid by the Pension Service on top of the survivor's own State Pension once they reach pension age. To claim, contact the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469 (Welsh: 0800 731 0453). The Pension Service will not volunteer this information; it is checked on request.

→ Pensions after a death

Last verified: 29 April 2026 against gov.uk/additional-state-pension.