Retiring on ill health

Your employer can let you retire on ill health at any age, as long as you have at least three months’ membership. To retire in this way, you must be permanently unable to do your own job due to your health condition, and you must have no immediate capacity for gainful employment.

Your employer will consult a specially qualified doctor in assessing your case, and if you do meet the two conditions, they will class you as a tier 1, tier 2, or tier 3 ill health case.

Tier 1

No reasonable prospect of being capable of gainful employment now or at any age before 65. Your pension benefits will be based on your membership so far, plus all the membership you would have built up by age 65.

Tier 2

No reasonable prospect of being capable of gainful employment now or any time in the next three years. But likely to be capable of gainful employment after that. Your pension benefits will be based on your membership so far, plus 25% of the membership you would have built up by age 65.

Tier 3

No reasonable prospect of being capable of gainful employment right now, but likely to be capable of gainful employment within three years. Your lump sum (if any) is yours to keep, but the pension will be paid for a maximum of three years, and is subject to review.

See our online booklet for more about ill health retirement

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Ill health guide (602 KB)

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