Get advice
Most major cancer charities have financial experts who can help you navigate the benefits system and find out what you can claim to help you cover living costs while you are ill.
Macmillan Cancer Support runs a welfare rights service open seven days a week. You can call 0808 8080000. The charity’s website also has a cost of living section, with detailed advice. Start at macmillan.org.uk
The charity Maggie’s has 24 centers across the UK, all with benefits advisers. They offer face-to-face and virtual support, depending on what you prefer.
You can contact these organizations at any time; it doesn’t have to be right after your diagnosis.
Ask HR
If you are an employee, you are entitled to wages in the event of illness. The statutory basic sick pay is now £109.40 per week and is paid to employees who typically earn at least £123 per week on average. The compensation is paid for a maximum of 28 weeks. This may seem like a lot at first, but your treatment could easily last longer. To be eligible, you must provide your employer with a sick note; You will probably receive this from your GP or hospital doctor.
Many companies pay more than the minimum, so ask your manager or HR department what to expect. It is not unusual for companies to offer full pay for the first six months, and then half for the next six months. During your time off, you typically build up vacation entitlements, so you may be able to take some paid leave when sick pay runs out.
If you plan to undergo treatment, your employer is not required to pay you for time off for appointments, but most employers will.
If you are self-employed, you are not eligible for statutory sickness benefit. Instead, you should look at benefits, in the form of a new-style employment support benefit.
Anna Ellis, welfare and benefits advisor at Maggie’s, says if you are having chemotherapy or radiotherapy you should qualify for the ‘support rate’, which is higher than the basic payment. It’s worth £129.50 a week.
Check the policy
If you find yourself ill, check what amounts you can claim under private insurance. Ellis’ colleague Zoe Winters says she will ask about this, especially if someone has a mortgage. “They may have a policy that pays their salary for a year,” she says.
The policies you should check are those that cover critical illness (you may have these in combination with life insurance), income protection and mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI).
All critical illness the policies cover cancer, although they must meet a certain severity level before you can make a claim. These policies pay out a tax-free lump sum, which you can use as you wish.
Income protection insurance provides a monthly payment to replace part of your income, while mortgage insurance covers your home loan payments each month. Both have a “grace period” before payments begin, and you typically only receive payments for a year or two. This is all stated in your policy or will be explained by your insurer when you call.
You may also be able to access your pension earlier, says Winters, but this does have consequences: for example, you will lose your benefit in the event of death. This is not a step you can take without seeking financial advice.
Buy an NHS card
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, prescriptions are free, but in England they are usually paid. However, if you have cancer you are eligible for a Certificate of Medical Exemption, making all NHS prescriptions free.
You may be given a form by a cancer nurse, but if not, ask for one. It must be signed by your GP or one of the other healthcare professionals who will care for you before you send it. The card lasts for five years. You need a card: don’t assume your diagnosis immediately means free prescriptions. If you do, you could be fined €100 for each prescription.
Claim benefits
A cancer diagnosis does not immediately entitle you to government benefits, but there may be money you can claim as a result of its effects. If you lose part of your income, you may qualify.
“Even if you get sick pay, you may be eligible for benefits,” says Ellis. “People can often get Universal Credit to supplement their income, especially if they rent and have children.”
Depending on the physical impact of your cancer – or the treatment you need for it – you may be eligible for Personal Independence Allowance (PIP), adult disability benefit, or attendance allowance if you have reached state pension age in Scotland. These claims all involve you being assessed to see if you qualify; However, if your disease is terminal, you don’t have to wait.
You may not be eligible for these benefits initially, but if you are unable to work when your sick leave period ends, you should check again. Some of them unlock additional help, such as free NHS wigs or surgical bras.
Although traveling to the hospital is probably one of the biggest costs of cancer, unfortunately there are no benefits aimed at paying for it. But Ellis says if you suffer from debilitating fatigue or neuropathy (nerve damage, usually in the feet or hands), you may be able to apply for a blue badge or, if you live in London, a freedom pass for public transport.
Apply for grants
Many charities offer grants to help you pay for things if you are on a low income. Macmillan is a good port of call as it offers cash to help with everyday expenses such as travel.
“Macmillan Grants are small, one-off payments of £200 to help people with the extra costs that cancer can cause,” says Levon Gray, welfare rights specialist at Macmillan Cancer Support. “The subsidies can be used for things such as energy bills, extra clothing, home adjustments, travel costs to and from the hospital, or any additional costs that people with cancer may experience.”
He adds that the grant is “intended as an extra bit of help, and not as a replacement for other support such as benefits”. You can sign up via the Macmillan support line. Alternatively, you may be referred by a healthcare provider or advisor from another charity.
Winters says other charities that specialize in certain cancers or groups of patients also offer grants. For example, the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan offers up to £250 to those who undergo a stem cell transplant and have only a small amount of savings.
Don’t be shy about asking if you qualify. Even if a charity cannot support you financially, they may be able to point you to other help.