Help for people of working age

Find out about:

• Sick Pay (Statutory, occupational or company sick pay)
  Find out if Statutory sick pay, and Occupational or company sick pay or relevant to you
• Employment and Support Allowance
  Employment and Support Allowance is paid to people of working age who cannot work due to illness or disability
• Incapacity Benefit
  If you couldn’t work because of illness or disability before 31 January 2011, you may be receiving Incapacity Benefit
• Income Support
  Income support is a means-tested benefit for people of working age on a low income, and is intended to cover basic living expenses
• Disability Living Allowance
  Disability Living Allowance is for people under 65 who have difficulty walking or looking after themselves (or both)
• Income Tax Refund
  You may be eligible for a tax refund if you have to give up work and your income falls
• Working Tax Credit
  Working Tax Credit is a payment made to working people on a low income to top up their earnings
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
  You may be eligible for this benefit if you have become ill or disabled as a result of your work
• Jobseeker's Allowance
  If you are under pensionable age and capable of working, Jobseeker's Allowance can give you a weekly income while you look for work.
  You may also be able to get tax credits from the HM Revenue & Customs such as Child Tax Credit. 

Employment rights

You may be covered by employment law if:

• your employer dismisses you because of your illness
• your employer doesn’t pay you what you're entitled to
• your employer discriminates against you in any way because of your illness.

The Equality Act 2010 protects anyone who has, or has had, cancer. Even if a person who had cancer in the past has been successfully treated and is now cured, they will still be covered by the act. This means their employer must not discriminate against them for any reason, including their past cancer.

For more information about your employment rights, see our section on work and cancer|. 

In Northern Ireland

The Disability Discrimination Act protects anyone in Northern Ireland who has, or has had, cancer. Even if a person who had cancer in the past has been successfully treated and is now cured, they will still be covered by the act. This means their employer must not discriminate against them for any reason, including their past cancer.

Case study - David and Susan’s story

David, 45, was diagnosed with lung cancer. He works full-time as a self-employed plumber and lives with his wife Susan, 43, in a mortgaged property.

David had surgery and was undergoing a 24-week course of chemotherapy. The side effects of surgery and cancer treatment meant that David had difficulty walking due to breathlessness, and simple tasks, such as getting dressed, were difficult.

Susan works 22 hours a week and they were struggling to pay their mortgage and bills.
After contacting a welfare rights adviser, David found out that, because his national insurance contributions were up-to-date, he could apply for Employment and Support Allowance.

David applied for and received the following:

Employment and Support Allowance|
£71 a week for 13 weeks (basic rate), increasing to £105.05 (support group rate) (see pages 24–25).

Disability Living Allowance| (middle rate care and higher rate mobility)
Worth £105.90 a week.

Road tax exemption|
Free tax disc.

Blue Badge Scheme|
Parking concessions for people with severe mobility problems.

Free prescriptions |
As a person undergoing treatment for cancer, David is entitled to free prescriptions.

If David had not found out about his entitlements, they would have had to live on Susan’s income of £250 a week. By claiming the benefits he was entitled to, their income increased to £426.90 a week.