Short-term Incapacity Benefit in social security agreement countries
Short-term Incapacity Benefit if you are going from the UK to a social agreement country
If you are getting UK short-term Incapacity Benefit and you plan to go to another country, let your Jobcentre Plus office know well before you leave the UK.
You will need to tell them:
- your full name and address;
- your National Insurance number;
- details of the benefits you are getting;
- the date you plan to go abroad;
- when you plan to come back to the UK; and
- why you are going abroad.
If you claim the equivalent sickness benefit in Jersey or Guernsey, the Philippines, the Republics of the former Yugoslavia or Turkey and become insured under that country's scheme, your UK insurance may help you to qualify for that country's benefit.
Agreements with these countries allow payment of short-term Incapacity Benefit:
Barbados
You may be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit for a time if you are going to another country temporarily and you are going for medical treatment, or you have already been incapable of work for six months.
If this does not apply, the agreements with these countries may allow you to get short-term Incapacity Benefit while you are in that country:
- you become unable to work when you are employed in Barbados while you have to be insured under the UK scheme; or
- you need treatment straightaway for your condition while you are staying in Barbados. If you do, you must get a certificate that says you cannot work and also why. Ask the doctor or hospital for one and send it to The Pension Service (Directgov). You must send the certificate within six days of the first day you are ill and if your claim is late, you may lose benefit; or
- you already get benefit in the UK and are authorised by the Department for Work and Pensions to go back to Barbados, or to go to live in Barbados; or
- while living in Barbados you fall sick but you are not entitled to Sickness Benefit and have not paid a contribution to the Barbadian scheme. You may be able to get UK short-term Incapacity Benefit, provided you have paid enough contributions to the UK scheme.
Israel
You may be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit while you are in Israel if you become unable to work when you are employed in Israel while you have to be insured under the UK scheme, but only if your incapacity is because of an industrial accident or disease.
If you are getting Incapacity Benefit because of an industrial accident or disease, you can continue to get the benefit if you go to Israel and you will also be able to receive increases for dependants who are with you. See Benefits for accidents at work and for occupational diseases.
Jersey and Guernsey
You may be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit while you are in Jersey or Guernsey if:
- you become unable to work when you are employed in Jersey or Guernsey while you have to be insured under the UK scheme; or
- you need treatment straightaway for your condition while you are staying in Jersey or Guernsey. If you do, you must get a certificate that says you cannot work and also why. Ask the doctor or hospital for one and send it to The Pension Service (Directgov). You must send the certificate within six days from the first day you are ill and if your claim is late you may lose benefit; or
- you already get benefit in the UK and are authorised by the Department for Work and Pensions to go back to Jersey or Guernsey, or to go to live in Jersey or Guernsey; or
- while living in Jersey or Guernsey you fall sick, but you are not entitled to Jersey or Guernsey Sickness Benefit and have not paid a contribution to the Jersey or Guernsey scheme. You may be able to get UK short-term Incapacity Benefit, provided you have paid enough contributions to the UK scheme.
Republics of the former Yugoslavia
If you are going from the UK to the Republic, you may be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit while you are in the Republic if:
- you become unable to work when you are employed in the Republic while you have to be insured under the UK s scheme; or
- you are in the Republic only temporarily.
The Philippines
You may be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit while you are in the Philippines if you become unable to work when you are employed there while you have to be insured under the UK scheme, but only if your incapacity is because of an industrial accident or disease.
If you are getting Incapacity Benefit because of an industrial accident or disease, you can continue to get the benefit if you go to the Philippines. See Benefits for accidents at work and for occupational diseases.
Turkey
You may be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit while you are in Turkey if:
- you satisfy the normal conditions for getting the benefit; and
- you become unable to work when you are employed in Turkey while you have to be insured under the UK scheme; or
- you do not remain insured under the UK scheme, but would nevertheless be entitled to Incapacity Benefit if you were in the UK.
Special rules if you are going to New Zealand
If you are ill in New Zealand and need to claim New Zealand Sickness Benefit or Invalid's Benefit, the agreement will allow you to be treated, for the purpose of the residence tests, as if you had been living in New Zealand during any periods when you were living in the UK.
Short-term Incapacity Benefit if you are coming to the UK from a social security agreement country
You might be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit if you were working abroad for a UK employer and remained ordinarily resident in the UK for the whole time you were abroad, and paid contributions for the first 52 weeks
If this does not apply, you may be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit under the other country's scheme if you fulfil certain conditions, for example if
- you are still insured under that scheme because you are working for a non-EEA employer in the UK, or
- you are only in the UK for a short time.
If you cannot claim benefit under that country's scheme, you might still be able to qualify for UK short-term Incapacity Benefit if you worked in the other country. But you must have paid a contribution as an employed or self-employed person under the UK scheme since you last arrived in the UK.
If you have not paid any National Insurance since you last arrived in the UK, but were working abroad for a UK employer, you might still be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit if you remained ordinarily resident in the UK for the whole time you were abroad and paid contributions for the first 52 weeks.
Those guidelines apply to the following countries:
- Barbados
- Israel
- Jersey and Guernsey
- Republics of the former Yugoslavia
- Turkey.
The following countries have different requirements:
Philippines
Short-term Incapacity Benefit is not payable.
New Zealand
If you normally work for an employer or are self-employed in the UK, and you claim UK short-term Incapacity Benefit, you will be treated as though you had paid UK contributions for periods during which you were
- employed or self-employed in New Zealand; or
- unemployed or incapacitated in New Zealand, provided you were usually employed or self-employed there.
If you are incapable of work on coming to the UK from New Zealand, you will be treated as satisfying the contribution conditions for UK short-term Incapacity Benefit as long as you remain incapable of work, provided you were receiving New Zealand Sickness Benefit or Invalid's Benefit when you were last in New Zealand.
If you do not qualify for benefit under the conditions outlined above, but were working abroad for a UK employer, you might still be able to get short-term Incapacity Benefit if you remained ordinarily resident in the UK for the whole time you were abroad and paid contributions for the first 52 weeks.
For further information, please contact The Pension Service (Directgov).
