Work and terminal illness

Work is a big part of life for many people. After a terminal diagnosis, one of your first thoughts may be how your working life may change. This could include whether you want or need to leave work and financial worries because of that. On this page, we give an overview of your rights at work when you have a terminal illness.

This page is intended as guidance only. Please seek relevant independent advice before making decisions or taking action.

The information on this page is for people with a terminal illness and employers, but it may also be useful for colleagues and people close to someone with a diagnosis.

On this page:

Terminal illness and your rights at work

After your diagnosis, you may intend to:

• carry on working as usual
• explore or agree to a change in the type or amount of work you do
• stop working, either for a short time or permanently.

Ideally you should do what feels right for you, thinking about your current health, finances and treatment options. You might find it helpful to contact relevant people, such as an HR department or independent advisor, before deciding. This should mean you have all the information and support to make an informed decision.

Here are some people and organisations you may want to contact if you need advice, or have questions or concerns about changes to your working life:

• If it applies to you, an employer's HR team.
• A trade union, if you are a member.
• Specialist organisations, such as a pension provider (if you have one), Citizens Advice, or relevant benefits agencies.
• Government guidance in your area – gov.uk in England, Scotland and Wales or nidirect.gov.uk in Northern Ireland.

Is terminal illness a disability?

Although you may not think of yourself this way, people who are terminally ill are likely to be considered disabled. This means you should be protected against discrimination by law.

This potential protection may mean you have certain rights at work, which we explain more about below.

Do I have to tell my employer about my terminal illness?

In most cases, you do not have to tell your employer about your illness. Some jobs may have legislation or professional requirements that would require you to tell an employer about your illness. If you are not sure, check your contract or with an HR department if there is one.

Even if you do not have to tell your employer, you might want to so that they can offer any support or help you need.

Will I be offered reasonable adjustments because of my terminal illness?

Your employer should explore and consider reasonable adjustments to accommodate your needs at work, which may change over time. They only have to make these adjustments if they think they are reasonable in your specific situation – there are no set rules for this.

Reasonable adjustments could include:

• working from home or another location
• flexible working arrangements, such as changes to start or finish times, introducing more breaks during the day, or condensed working hours
• changing the duties of your role
• adjusting your work station, including providing new equipment
• time off work for treatment.

It's a good idea to take some time to think about your options before making any decisions.

Can I be fired or made redundant because of my terminal illness?

Your employer should not make you redundant (sack you) or find an excuse to make you redundant because of your illness. They also cannot force you to retire or resign. However, this does not mean that you cannot be dismissed for another reason. For example, your employer may seek to end your employment on other grounds, such as capability, but a fair process should be followed.

If you have any concerns about this, you may want to get advice from an independent source, such as:

• an HR department, if there is one
• Citizens Advice
  
• Acas (England, Scotland and Wales)
• Labour Relations Agency (Northern Ireland).

Talking to colleagues about your terminal diagnosis

The idea of talking to your employer or colleagues about your terminal illness can be daunting. They're likely to be supportive of you, but you may still be worried about how they might react or who to tell.

It's your decision whether to tell colleagues you are ill. You may want them to know and think they could offer helpful support. Or you might prefer to keep it to a small group of people, such as your line manager and HR colleague.

Your employer should not tell your colleagues about your illness without your permission. But if you would find it helpful for them, or someone else, to talk to your colleagues on your behalf, let them know.

Leaving work after a terminal diagnosis

At some point, you will probably have to tell your employer that you need to stop working. If work has been a major focus of your life, you may find it difficult to adjust to the idea of not working.

It could help to talk to someone about your feelings, such as a family member or friend. Or you might prefer to chat to someone who you're not as close to, like a counsellor or nurse.

You may also wish to talk to your employer to find out what support options may be in place. For example, some employers offer independent and confidential counselling or an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service for employees. You may wish to access this.

Read more about getting emotional support.

Benefits and financial support after a terminal illness diagnosis

You may feel worried about your financial situation, especially if you are thinking of leaving work or if your income may reduce due to sick leave. There is financial support available for people who are living with a terminal illness. But we know that benefits and finances can be complicated, which is why we have information dedicated to helping you understand what you may be able to claim.

Read about benefits, finances and terminal illness.

Sick pay and terminal illness

If you work for an employer and you're too ill to work, you may be able to get sick pay. This could be either Statutory Sick Pay or occupational sick pay, which is sometimes called contractual sick pay. If your employer does not provide occupational sick pay, they must as a minimum pay you Statutory Sick Pay if you qualify.

Find out more about sick pay.

Your pension and terminal illness

If you pay into a workplace pension scheme, or have in the past, you may be able to take your pension early. This is known as ill-health retirement or medical retirement. If you have one, your HR or pension department should be able to tell you about ill-health retirement. Or you may wish to contact your pension provider directly for more information.

If you have a terminal diagnosis or less than a year to live, you may be able to take out all of your pension in one go.

Before you decide to take your pension early or in one go, it is important to get independent advice. This is because it may affect benefits you may currently have, such as death in service benefit or other lump sums. See the information on life insurance and pension schemes below for more information on this.

Getting independent advice will help to make sure you understand the full implications, terms and conditions of any decision.

Life insurance and pension schemes

Before you take out your pension, you should check if you have life insurance through work.

Many employers offer life insurance – this may be included in your workplace pension, or it may be separate. Life insurance pays either a lump sum or regular payments to your beneficiaries when you die. A beneficiary is someone you've chosen to receive the money. In some schemes, this money may not be paid out if you've already started taking out a pension or taken a lump sum. So it's important to check the scheme information, or speak to your pensions department or pension provider before making any decisions.

The rules around pensions are complicated, and what you can receive depends on what kind of scheme you are on. It's a good idea to seek help from a financial adviser.

Supporting an employee with a terminal illness

If you are an employer of someone with a terminal illness, there are ways you can offer support:

• Understand their rights at work. As much as it's important for someone with a terminal illness to understand their rights at work, it's important for you too. Make sure you have a clear understanding of the law and your company policies. Read What Works Wellbeing and Marie Curie's guidance on supporting employees with a terminal illness.  
  
  
• Be flexible where you can. As an employer, you should explore and consider reasonable adjustments for an employee living with a terminal illness. This could include time off for appointments, changing their duties, adjustments to where they work or their equipment, or flexible hours. It may help to speak with them about what would make work better and come up with an agreed plan. You and your employee should review this periodically, as symptoms or needs may change over time.
  
  
• Review their workload. Depending on their health and any adjustments put in place, it may be helpful to look at their workload and think about whether it needs to change and why. Ideally, any changes would be considered or made after discussing them with your employee.
  
  
• Ask what they need from you. As well as looking at practical adjustments, you may be able to offer more emotional support – from checking in during times your employee is off work, to talking to colleagues on their behalf. Before you do anything, check with your employee what, if anything, they would like you to do.

Read the CIPD guidance about managing and supporting employees with a terminal illness.

More information about work and terminal illness

Being diagnosed with a terminal illness can be hard enough on its own, and adding work or finances to that may seem overwhelming. If you need support understanding your rights at work or what the next steps might be, there are lots of people and organisations that can help. These include:

• Acas (England, Scotland and Wales) – offers information on employment subjects such as working hours, redundancy and discrimination.
• Labour Relations Agency (Northern Ireland) – provides information about employment practices in Northern Ireland.
• Citizens Advice – provides information on your rights, including employment issues.
• Equality and Human Rights Commission (England, Scotland and Wales) – has information and advice about your rights, including employment rights.

Get further details for work and employment rights organisations.

Other charities that can offer support

Other charities may also have information about work and your specific illness. These include:

• Alzheimer's Society – has a blog on working with dementia.
• Dementia UK – offers information about work and young onset dementia.
• Macmillan Cancer Support – provides information about work and cancer.
• MND Association – has information on employment decisions and motor neurone disease (MND).
• Parkinson's UK – offers information about work and Parkinson's.

If you are not sure where to start, you can also call our free Support Line on 0800 090 2309. They can talk through your situation and signpost you to further guidance.