To be eligible to take your pension on the grounds of ill health you must:
- have at least 2 years service in the NHS Pension Scheme
- be under your normal pension age (NPA)
You cannot retire on the grounds of ill health if you’re due to be made redundant.
If you’re over your NPA, you're already entitled to claim your pension on age grounds.
The NPA for Special Class status (SCS) and mental health officer (MHO) members for ill health purposes is age 60.
To check if you’re eligible, you must complete either an:
If you have membership in more than one Section or Scheme, you may need to complete both forms.
Read more information about applying for ill health benefits on our website.
AW33E
Get an AW33E form from your employer and complete it if you're either:
- an active member of the NHS Pension Scheme
- in NHS employment and have opted out of the NHS Pension Scheme
If you’re a GP who’s opted out of the Scheme but is still in NHS employment, send a completed AW33E to Primary Care Support England (PCSE) on the portal.
If you have more than one employer, you must complete one AW33E. This should be with your main employer.
AW240
Complete an AW240 if you’re not in NHS employment.
Application accepted
To apply to take your pension, complete an AW8 or an AW8P.
If you're eligible to take ill health retirement, we'll let you know which form you need when we contact you.
You'll have up to 12 months from the date of the medical decision to claim your pension benefits.
Serious ill health
If you’re terminally ill with a life expectancy of less than 12 months, you can take your benefits as a one-off lump sum.
You must submit a form along with your AW8 or AW8P:
- if you’re under your NPA, complete an AW341
- if you’re over your NPA, complete an AW341a
Apply for ill health again after returning to work
If you return to work after ill health retirement and then leave work again due to further ill health, you must go through the appeals process to see if you would be eligible.