Ill health retirement

Applying for ill health pension benefits

If you become too ill to work, and have not reached normal pensionable age, you may be able to retire and take your pension benefits.

To be eligible for ill health retirement, you need to have:

• been a member for a minimum 2 years
• become too ill to work in your present job

You can find the NHS Pensions guide below.

How to apply 

You (and your occupational health doctor, GP or specialist) need to complete the relevant sections of the AW33E form and submit it to PCSE via the Contact Us form. 

We will review the form to check it is fully completed, add the required information and send it to NHS Pensions for their medical advisors to assess.

NHS Pensions will contact you to confirm if you qualify for ill health pension benefits. If your application for ill health benefits is approved, you will then need to submit the retirement benefits claim form (AW8) to PCSE via the Contact Us form.

Please see the PCSE Ill Health Retirement Guide below for a detailed breakdown of the steps in the process.