Free ill health retirement advice comes from your scheme, MoneyHelper, Pension Wise, a union or Citizens Advice; regulated advice is only needed for some decisions.

If you are ill and thinking about retiring early on your pension, most of the help you need costs nothing. The scheme itself, MoneyHelper and, for some people, Pension Wise are free; so is a union branch if you belong to one. Ill, and unsure what to put to your scheme? An FCA-authorised adviser will sort through the pension questions with you by phone, at no charge, via the form on this page.

Where can you get free ill health retirement advice?

Five routes cover most questions, and they do different jobs. None of them can promise that an application will succeed, because the decision sits with the scheme or its employer.

  • The scheme administrator: what the rules say, which forms you need and what happens next.
  • MoneyHelper: free, impartial guidance on pensions in general.
  • Pension Wise: a free appointment, but only for a defined contribution pension.
  • A trade union: support if the problem is with your employer or a sickness absence process.
  • Citizens Advice: general advice, delivered locally.

Acas points out that "There is no legal entitlement to take ill health retirement – it depends on the pension scheme rules." That is why the first call is usually to whoever runs your scheme. What counts as ill health retirement, and how the tax test works, is in ill health retirement in the UK.

Start with the scheme administrator and the scheme rules

The scheme's own rules decide who qualifies, so ask the administrator or your employer's pensions team for the rules, the application form and the medical evidence they want. HMRC sets only the minimum tax test, and its manual adds: "In practice, scheme rules may have stricter ill-health criteria." Ask which tier or level of benefit applies to you, how long a decision takes and whether you can be reassessed later.

The process differs by scheme. In the NHS scheme your employer completes part A of the form, you complete part B, and your occupational health doctor completes part C, or your GP or specialist if that is not possible. In the LGPS the employer takes the decision, after getting an independent occupational health physician's opinion. Other schemes have their own forms. The LGPS position is covered in ill health retirement in the LGPS.

Puzzled by your scheme's ill health wording? Submit the form on this page; later, an FCA-authorised adviser rings to read the rules alongside you, without a fee.

What is the medical adviser's role in public-sector schemes?

In public-sector schemes a doctor, not a pension clerk, usually judges the medical question. HMRC's rule is that "The evidence must be provided by a registered medical practitioner." The scheme then decides how to use that evidence.

The NHSBSA says its team "of doctors and advisors qualified in occupational health will provide an independent assessment based on all available medical evidence and make a recommendation to us". It adds that its medical advisers may ask for more evidence, so a fuller report from your GP or specialist at the start can save time. The LGPS requires the employer to get the opinion of "an independent occupational health physician appointed by them" before deciding, and the employer, not the doctor, then picks the tier. These doctors assess your case for the scheme or employer; they are not there to coach you through it.

Pension Wise and MoneyHelper: who is eligible for what?

Pension Wise is MoneyHelper's free appointment, which "explains the options for taking money from your defined contribution pension". Eligibility needs a UK defined contribution pension, plus being 50 or over or, among other cases, being under 50 and "retiring early due to poor health". Pot size does not matter.

Pension Wise is not designed for a final salary or career average pension, which is defined benefit. That covers most NHS, teacher, police and local government members. MoneyHelper's page lets you check which type you have, or ask your provider. If you are not eligible, MoneyHelper says "We can still help if you’re not eligible for Pension Wise": its pension specialists give free guidance by phone on 0800 011 3797, webchat or an online form. Guidance explains options; it does not tell you what to choose. The wider service is in what Pension Wise is, and other free routes are in free pension advice and guidance.

Can a trade union help with ill health retirement?

If you belong to a union, a branch rep is often the most practical help, because they know your employer. On its NHS pension page, for example, UNISON says its members "should access support from their local rep or branch if they are subject to a sickness absence process". That matters because ill health retirement often arrives alongside absence meetings, occupational health referrals and talk of capability.

Ask your rep about the employer's process, whether a rep can come with you to meetings and whether adjustments or redeployment are being considered before retirement. A union is usually more use on the employer side than on a detailed pensions calculation.

What Citizens Advice can do alongside an ill health retirement claim

Citizens Advice runs local services across England and Wales, a free debt helpline on 0800 240 4420 and a Help to Claim service for new Universal Credit claims, which can matter when income drops. Citizens Advice notes that "Most local Citizens Advice can only help you if you live or work in their area". You can find your nearest through its website, or phone Adviceline (England) on 0800 144 8848.

Local services differ in how far they go on one scheme's rules, so ask when you book. For the effect of an ill health pension on your benefits, read ill health retirement and benefits.

When do you need regulated advice, and what does it cost?

Regulated advice from an FCA-authorised adviser is the paid option, and for most ill health claims you do not need it. Applying to your scheme is a form-and-evidence process. You are more likely to want it when a decision is hard to reverse: moving a defined benefit pension, or choosing between taking your pension and keeping it invested.

A transfer is the clearest case. The law requires a check that you have taken appropriate independent advice before safeguarded benefits are moved to flexible benefits elsewhere, unless "the transfer value of the member’s or survivor’s subsisting rights in respect of safeguarded benefits under the pension scheme is £30,000 or less on the valuation date". The FCA says that "The FCA and The Pensions Regulator (TPR) believe it’s in most people’s best interests to keep their DB pension." MoneyHelper adds that "Most public sector pension schemes will also not allow a transfer to a defined contribution arrangement." Nobody should push you to transfer because you are unwell; see when advice is required before a transfer.

Fees vary by firm and are explained in what pension advice costs. Weigh them against the size of the decision. Whether the worth of an early pension outweighs the alternatives is in is ill health retirement worth it.

What if the scheme refuses or you disagree?

Ask for the decision and its reasons in writing, and check how long you have to challenge it. Schemes have their own complaints route, and the Pensions Ombudsman says that "Before you come to us, you must have completed the formal complaints process with the relevant party — such as the trustees or manager of your pension scheme, the administrator or an employer." The steps are in appealing a refused ill health retirement. A refusal can upend your retirement sums; an FCA-authorised adviser can phone, without charge, to look at the pension choices left, via the form on this page.

Acas, the BMA, cold callers and fees

Does Acas give ill health retirement advice?

Acas has a short page on retirement, last updated 10 June 2025, saying that no one can be forced to retire because of ill health, and that workers should check with their employer or pension provider. For the pension itself, go back to your scheme.

Can the BMA help a doctor with ill health retirement?

Yes. The BMA publishes ill health retirement guidance for doctors in the NHS schemes (updated 20 December 2022) and says its pensions department can help with an appeal. Other unions and professional bodies run their own services, but the scheme still decides.

Should I trust a cold caller offering my pension early?

No. Be wary of anyone who cold-calls offering to release your pension early because you are unwell. Check the FCA's pension scams page and read how pension scams work.

Who pays an adviser for a regulated recommendation?

You usually do, and fees vary by firm. The call-back itself is free.