Ill Health Retirement - Cancer -

DiddyD

I was Ill health retired a few years ago, due to having Cancer. Thankfully, I'm still here to tell the tale, but wondered if anyone knew how long you get "Ill Health Retirement" pension for??? Is it indefinate? Am I "allowed" to get a job elsewhere if I feel well enough and if so, should I tell the company that pay my pension or will it be taken off me???

Can anyone help or offer any advice please?

Thankyou

Loughton_Monkey

Depends upon the wording of your scheme.

Yes, early retirement on the grounds of ill health usually pays that pension for life. But don't be surprised if there are conditions that say you must inform them of any subsequent employment. You could find that under certain circumstances, you would be losing as much from pension as you are gaining on earned income.

FLAPJACK

I was ill health retired too at 49, a few years ago.

The info I had was that the pension is enhanced up to what it would have been if you had stayed to normal retirement age (in my case 60), and the pension is paid for life. However a ill health pension in subject to periodic review...I wasn't told what the period is but I have found on the net that different schemes have different times.

The review period can go from 18 months, 3 years and 5 years...I haven't seen any that mentions longer than 5 years.

As to working again I was told (like the other poster has said) that I have to inform the scheme that I am working again....it probably will reduce your pension by the amount you are earning, but apparently a check by the scheme is also made periodically with HMCR to check how much tax you have paid...obviously if you have paid more tax than the scheme is taking from your pension then you must be working.

There are different levels of ill health pension too. Some schemes it seems don't review you if you were found to be in a situation where you couldn't not only do your job but ANY job for any employer.
With some schemes if you were found to not be able to do your own job but another type of occupation then the pension payable wouldn't be paying a sum equal to what you would have got if you stayed to the companies normal retirement age.

The only mention of the scheme contacting me at a later stage was that they will send a "Statement of Entitlement" once in a while...from what I have heard basically it's to prove you are still ticking over, as you are required to sign it.
Not seen one yet though!.