Pensión 65 in Peru: who qualifies, how often it pays, and what happens if you are removed

What Pensión 65 is

Pensión 65 is not a retirement pension. It is a programme of the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS) that pays a cash grant (subvención económica). In September 2026, Decreto Supremo N.º 005-2026-MIDIS rewrote the 2011 decree that created it (D.S. 081-2011-PCM). Its new article 2 states the aim:

“El Programa “Pensión 65” tiene por objetivo otorgar una subvención económica de periodicidad bimestral que garantice un ingreso mínimo a las personas adultas a partir de los sesenta y cinco (65) años de edad en condición de extrema pobreza, a fin de brindarles protección social”

(The programme pays a two-monthly grant that guarantees a minimum income to people aged 65 and over in extreme poverty.)

Under the same decree, Pensión 65 also runs cash payments to people hit by emergencies. This page covers only the grant for older adults.

Who qualifies: five rules at once

The new numeral 10.1 requires all of these at the same time:

“Para la afiliación al Programa “Pensión 65”, las personas adultas deben cumplir, de manera concurrente, con los siguientes criterios de elegibilidad: a) Persona adulta a partir de los sesenta y cinco (65) años de edad. b) Contar con el Documento Nacional de Identidad (DNI). c) Estar clasificado en condición de pobreza extrema, de acuerdo con la Clasificación Socioeconómica (CSE) otorgada por el Organismo de Focalización e Información Social (OFIS). d) No percibir pensión de origen público o privado, incluidas las prestaciones económicas otorgadas por el Seguro Social de Salud (EsSalud). e) Suscribir una declaración jurada conforme al formato previsto en el Anexo 1 del presente decreto supremo.”

(You must be 65 or over, hold a DNI, be classified as extremely poor, receive no public or private pension or EsSalud cash benefit, and sign a sworn declaration.)

Three points people miss:

• The poverty must be extreme. A “poor” classification is not enough.
• Any pension rules you out. The decree sets no minimum. A small ONP or AFP pension is enough to exclude you, and so are EsSalud cash benefits.
• A DNI is required. The decree does not mention the carné de extranjería. That follows from the text; we found no rule on foreign residents.

Meeting the rules does not guarantee a place

Numeral 10.2 adds a filter that is out of your hands:

“La incorporación de los potenciales usuarios se realiza mediante un proceso de priorización, conforme a los criterios establecidos en el documento normativo correspondiente, aprobado por Resolución de Dirección Ejecutiva, y a la disponibilidad presupuestaria.”

(New users are brought in through prioritisation, under criteria the programme approves, and subject to the available budget.)

And only people on the two-monthly list get paid:

“En el marco de su intervención ordinaria, son usuarios las personas adultas a partir de los sesenta y cinco (65) años de edad, en situación de extrema pobreza, que se encuentren incorporadas en la Relación Bimestral de Usuarios.”

(Users are people 65 and over in extreme poverty who are on the two-monthly list of users.)

How much and how often

Payment is two-monthly. The base figure is not in the decree. Its definition of the grant points to another rule:

“Subvención económica: transferencia monetaria que el Estado otorga directamente a los usuarios del Programa “Pensión 65”, cuyo monto se determina mediante la norma legal correspondiente, y en el marco de la normativa vigente.”

(The grant is a cash transfer whose amount is set by the relevant legal rule.)

We did not read that rule, so we do not give the base figure. What we did read is the 2026 extra payment, in article 62.1 of the Budget Law, Ley N.º 32513:

“Se autoriza, durante el Año Fiscal 2026, al Ministerio de Desarrollo e Inclusión Social a través del Programa Nacional de Asistencia Solidaria Pensión 65, a otorgar una subvención económica adicional de S/ 100,00 (CIEN Y 00/100 SOLES) a favor de las personas usuarias de dicho Programa, la misma que se entrega de manera bimestral conjuntamente con la subvención que otorga el Programa Pensión 65. Dicha subvención adicional es inembargable, no es heredable y no está sujeta al pago de devengados.”

(During fiscal year 2026, users get an extra S/ 100 every two months, paid with the regular grant. The extra cannot be seized, is not inherited and is not subject to back payments.)

So in 2026 each two-monthly payment is S/ 100 more than the base grant. The extra is authorised only for fiscal year 2026. For it to continue in 2027, a rule must authorise it for that year; we did not look for one.

How to apply

According to the official gob.pe guidance page, you apply at your municipality:

“Presentar la declaración jurada para el trámite de afiliación (Formulario 1000) en la Unidad Local de Empadronamiento (ULE) de la municipalidad distrital donde reside.”

(File the application sworn declaration, Formulario 1000, at the Local Registration Unit (ULE) of the district municipality where you live.)

The same ULE is where you can ask about your socioeconomic classification. The gob.pe page still names Sisfoh; the September 2026 decree names the Organismo de Focalización e Información Social (OFIS).

If you cannot go and collect

The decree lets someone else collect for you:

“El Programa “Pensión 65” establece el mecanismo de cobro, a través de un tercero autorizado, de la subvención económica a favor de sus usuarios que, por razones de salud, deterioro de su capacidad funcional o discapacidad, presenten dificultades para desplazarse al punto de pago, siempre que manifiesten su voluntad para tal efecto.”

(Users who, because of health, reduced functional capacity or disability, have trouble reaching the pay point can have an authorised third party collect for them, if they want that.)

Under numeral 4.5, the authorised third party is an adult who cares for you on a permanent basis and whom you expressly designate. The programme sets the requirements by resolution.

What happens if you are removed

Being in the programme is not permanent. Numeral 10.3 says:

“Los usuarios permanecen en el Programa “Pensión 65” en tanto mantengan el cumplimiento continuo de los criterios de elegibilidad establecidos en el numeral 10.1 del presente artículo.”

(Users stay in the programme only while they keep meeting the eligibility rules.)

So if you start receiving a pension, get an EsSalud cash benefit, or your classification stops being extreme poverty, you no longer meet a rule and can be taken off.

There is also something you sign on the way in. Point 2 of the sworn declaration says:

“Autorizo al Banco de la Nación a vigilar mi cuenta de ahorros, a solicitud del Programa Nacional de Asistencia Solidaria - Pensión 65, conforme a las causales que establezca la normativa vigente, y a revertir en favor del Programa las sumas abonadas a mi favor cuando se identifique la pérdida de los criterios de elegibilidad y permanencia.”

(You allow the Banco de la Nación to monitor your savings account at the programme’s request and to return to the programme amounts paid to you once it is found that you lost the eligibility rules.)

This means that if it turns out you no longer qualified, the bank can take back what was deposited. Tell the programme yourself if your situation changes.

We found no procedure in the decree for appealing a removal. If you think you were removed by mistake, for example because of a wrong socioeconomic classification, go to your municipality’s ULE and to a Pensión 65 office and ask them to explain in writing which rule you stopped meeting. If a public body will not help you, use its complaints book.

Other support worth checking

If you are classified as extremely poor, you may also qualify for SIS public health insurance. See SIS health insurance. Your other rights as an older adult are on elderly rights in Peru.

What this page does not cover

We do not give the base amount of the grant, because we did not read the rule that sets it. We do not cover the prioritisation criteria, which are in a document approved by programme resolution, or the payment calendar. We also do not cover how the socioeconomic classification is calculated, or the emergency cash payments that Pensión 65 now also runs.