Ill Health Retirement
You can retire on ill health at any age. However, you need to be certified by an independent medical advisor as being permanently unfit to do your job.
The medical adviser will need to issue a certificate stating that you are permanently unfit which will then entitle you to have your benefits paid immediately, provided that you have at least three months' pensionable service.
The amount of ill health pension and lump sum you will receive depends upon which tier you fall in to:
- Tier 1: no reasonable prospect of obtaining any "gainful employment" before age 65 - your membership is increased to what you would have had at age 65.
- Tier 2: no reasonable prospect of any "gainful employment" within 3 years, but likely to before 65 - your membership is increased by 25% of your potential membership to age 65.
- Tier 3: there is a reasonable prospect of obtaining "gainful employment" within 3 years - you will receive a pension and lump sum but without any enhancement of membership. The pension will cease if "gainful employment" is obtained and your employer will write to you after 18 months to ask you about this.
"Gainful employment" means working 30 hours per week for at least a year. If you are part time the membership enhancement in tiers 1 and 2 is apportioned accordingly.
If you were at least 45 on 31 March 2008 and joined the Scheme before 1 April 2008 the enhancement under tier 2 must be at least equal to the enhancement you would have had in the pre 2008 Scheme.
You can find more detailed information about ill health reitrement in our employers guide.
