Skip the secondary navigation if you do not want to read it as the next section.
| Do you want to meet other people with cancer? Join our What Now? community >> |
Skip the main content if you do not want to read it as the next section.
Skip the location trail if you do not want to read it as the next section.
This information provides a practical guide to people diagnosed with cancer, their families and friends. Financial issues can cause worry when someone becomes ill. Many people find that a diagnosis of cancer affects their finances and can cause money problems.
Many people can give you advice on your financial situation. Getting some advice early may save you a lot of time and energy.
The social worker at the hospital can often give you advice on sources of financial help. Your local Social Security office can give you information about benefits which you may be entitled to. Your local Citizens' Advice Bureau can give you financial and legal advice; its number will be in your local phone book. Some cancer support organisations, hospitals and self-help groups have benefits advisers who can advise you on whether you may be eligible for any benefits or grants.
It may be helpful to contact an independent financial adviser (IFA). IFAs can assess your individual situation and recommend the best course of action. You can find a local IFA by referral from family or friends, looking in your phone book, or by contacting the Personal Finance Society, IFA Promotions or Find a Professional website at www.findapro.co.uk
Many factors need to be taken into account when assessing your entitlement to benefits. The Department for Work and Pensions provides booklets which outline all the statutory benefits to which you may be entitled. You can get copies from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or Social Security office, which will also be able to advise you about the benefits you can claim. The addresses and telephone numbers are in the phone book. You can also get information from the Benefit Enquiry Line on 0800 882200 or the Department for Work and Pensions website at www.dwp.gov.uk.
Particular booklets that you may find helpful include:
If you are employed and unable to work, your employer should pay you Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for a maximum of 28 weeks. You may be able to get working tax credit during this period.
If you are still unable to work after this period, you may be able to claim Incapacity Benefit. There are three rates of Incapacity Benefit: a short-term lower rate, a short-term higher rate, and a long-term rate.
You can claim the short-term higher rate of benefit from the Benefits Agency if you have paid the correct level of National Insurance contributions for the relevant tax years.
If you are still unable to work after one year, you can claim long-term Incapacity Benefit. Long-term Incapacity Benefit is paid after 28 weeks if you are terminally ill or are in receipt of the higher rate of the Care Component of Disability Living Allowance.
If you are self-employed, you can claim Incapacity Benefit from the time you become ill, as long as you have been paying the correct National Insurance contributions. You may be able to claim working tax credit for the first 28 weeks.
People who are unemployed and unable to work cannot claim Job Seeker's Allowance but may qualify for the short-term lower rate Incapacity Benefit or other means-tested benefits.
People who are not able to claim Incapacity Benefit because they have not paid the relevant National Insurance contributions can apply to see if they qualify for Income Support or Pension Credit.
If you are ill and not able to work, remember to ask your GP for a medical certificate to cover the period of your illness. If you are in hospital, ask your doctor or nurse for a certificate to cover the time that you are an in-patient. This will be necessary if you need to claim a benefit. You may need to take a medical test to assess whether or not you are eligible to claim.
If you have long-term (nine months minimum) or permanent disability and need help with looking after yourself or getting around, you may qualify for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) if you are under 65, or for Attendance Allowance (AA) if you are 65 or over. Ask your local Social Security office for claim forms.
You can claim Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance even if you are working, and even if no-one actually gives you the help you need. If you claim DLA or AA and someone is looking after you, they may be able to claim Carer's Allowance. If they claim carer's allowance, it may affect your means-tested benefits, so seek advice about this.
If you are claiming under 'special rules' (a fast-track claim for people who may not live longer than six months), your doctor needs to complete a form, in addition to the application form, for either benefit. It is always difficult to tell exactly how long someone may live and many people with advanced cancer may be entitled to this benefit, so it can be helpful to check with your doctor. Claiming it does not mean that you will live less than six months.
If you are awarded the Mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance you will have an automatic entitlement to a Blue Badge parking concession and, if you use a car or one is used for you, to exemption from road tax.
If your cancer was caused as a result of your employment you may qualify for Industrial Injuries Benefits. You can ask for details from the Department for Work and Pensions.
If you have a disability caused by your cancer or its treatment, you may be able to get further help such as special equipment put into your home (eg ramps or hand-rails), bus and train concessions and a special key to give you access to toilets for disabled people. You can get details of these schemes from your local Social Services office.
Under certain circumstances, people on very low incomes can claim Income Support or Pension Credit if they are 60 or over. Income Support and Pension Credit can allow you to claim various other benefits (such as full Housing Benefit, council tax benefit or free school meals) so it is important to check whether you are entitled to claim these.
People on low incomes can get some financial help from their Local Authority, such as educational grants for children over 16 in full-time education, free school meals, Council Tax Benefit, or Housing Benefit.
You may also be able to get tax credits from the HM Revenue & Customs such as Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit. You can get information about these from a social worker, a Citizens' Advice Bureau, the Department for Work and Pensions or the Tax Credits Helpline (Great Britain: 0845 300 3900; or Northern Ireland: 0845 603 2000).
If you are on a low income you may also be entitled to help with NHS costs, including travel for hospital treatment, dental treatment, prescriptions, wigs, glasses and sight tests. You can get information about these benefits from your local Social Security office, the Benefit Enquiry Line (0800 882200) or the Department for Work and Pensions website at www.dwp.gov.uk
You are automatically entitled to free prescriptions and do not have to pay other NHS costs if you:
If you are not automatically entitled to free prescriptions, but are on a low income you can apply on form HC1 for a certificate for free services or reduced charges.
If you need a lot of prescriptions but cannot get them for free, you can cut costs by buying a pre-payment certificate for four months or a year. You save money if you need more than five prescription items in four months, or more than 14 items in a year. You can get a claim form (FP95) from your GP, your health authority or main post offices. Ring 0845 850 0030 to buy a pre-payment certificate over the phone using your credit or debit card.
You may also be able to claim grants and benefits from other organisations or charities. Macmillan Cancer Support gives one-off grants to people with cancer and you can contact its information line on 0808 808 2020 for information on how to claim. Applications must be made through a Macmillan nurse, social worker or advice organisation.
People under 21 can also apply for grants from CLIC Sargent. Again, applications need to be made by a health or social care professional. You can get further information by phoning 020 8752 2825 or emailing grants@sargent.org
A variety of charities will provide grants and financial help for particular situations or people with particular types of cancer. Speak to one of our cancer support service nurses to find out more.
The Association of Charity Officers is an organisation that tries to help individuals to find specific charities that may be able to offer some financial assistance. Using information about you such as your occupation, where you live, your religion and your type of cancer it is usually able to find relevant charities. It can be contacted on 01707 651 777, or via the website www.aco.uk.net
A book that gives details of all the trusts and organisations that provide financial support to people in the UK is available from bookshops or local libraries:
It is sometimes difficult for people to obtain life assurance, a pension or a mortgage after a diagnosis of cancer.
Some financial services companies offer life assurance policies, mortgages and/or other financial services to people with cancer. Each company will look at the person's situation (the type of cancer you have and the length of time since completing treatment) and may need to discuss your circumstances with your doctor before deciding whether to offer you a policy. The company can only advise on its own policies. You may be charged a higher premium than usual for a policy and most companies will not offer policies until two to three years after you have finished treatment.
As companies have different charges and conditions for their services, it may be helpful to contact an independent financial adviser (IFA). IFAs can contact several life assurance companies or mortgage lenders on your behalf. IFAs offer independent advice and can let you know which companies offer the best terms for your individual situation. IFAs may charge a fee for their initial search or take a commission when a policy or mortgage is arranged.
People who have been told that they are terminally ill and need to gain some money quickly may benefit from a viatical settlement. A viatical settlement is the name for a transaction in which an independent financial company buys an existing life insurance or endowment policy from a person who is terminally ill. All future benefits from the policy are assigned to the financial company, but the ill person can have access to a percentage of their policy value before his or her death. This is known as a living benefit.
When a finance company buys a life insurance policy from a person who is terminally ill, the original policyholder receives a percentage of its value (usually 50–80%) as an immediate cash lump sum.
The finance company then becomes responsible for all further payments of premiums, and receives all money paid by the insurance company when the policyholder dies. Finance companies offering this service will have differing qualifying requirements. They may need to discuss your medical condition in confidence with your doctor. You will be asked detailed questions about the policy you wish to sell, your medical details and your personal situation (eg if you have dependants under the age of 18, other provision must be made for them).
Viatical settlements are usually available only to people who are expected to live less than three years. However, these policies are always assessed on an individual basis. Sometimes money can be recovered from life insurance policies in other ways, such as surrendering the whole policy to the insurance company. It is always important to seek advice from a financial adviser before agreeing to a viatical settlement, as these transactions may have effects on other sources of income such as your entitlement to benefits or grants.
If you get into debt because of reduced income and higher outgoings due to cancer, seek help as soon as possible, and do not panic.
You can check with the hospital social worker or your local Social Security office that you are receiving all the income to which you are entitled. It may be possible for your income to be increased.
Try to deal first with debts relating to mortgage or rent arrears, or essential services to your home, such as fuel supplies.
If you are claiming Income Support or Pension Guarantee Credit, you can get payments deducted directly from your benefit for fuel, Council Tax, rent arrears and water charges. There is a limit to the amount that can be deducted, but this system can help if you are having problems with budgeting.
If you are in arrears with payments for hire purchase agreements (such as for a washing machine, car or furniture) the creditors may harass you and this can be distressing. Creditors cannot have you put in prison or seize your home, although they may sometimes threaten to do this.
If you are unable to pay your debts, it is essential to let your creditors know and to explain the reasons why. Most companies are prepared to accept reduced payments or even none at all for a time. Creditors sometimes decide that it is in their best interest to accept smaller, regular payments to get the debt paid off, rather than going to court.
The National Debt Line can offer free, confidential advice on dealing with debt. It can be contacted by calling 0808 808 4000, or through its website at www.nationaldebtline.co.uk
This section has been compiled using information from a number of reliable sources including:
For further references, please see the general bibliography.
Cancerbackup is a national charity and we rely on voluntary donations. To donate, please call 020 7696 9003 and tell us you have visited our website. Thank you.
