If you’re too ill to work, you’ll likely be entitled to statutory sick pay. Whilst this can be useful to receive, it’s often not enough to live on, especially for extended periods. Fortunately, there are many other forms of help that can allow you financially survive when too ill to work – here are just a few options to consider.
Get insured
As a precaution, you could consider taking out sick pay insurance as available from a company such as Drewberry Insurance. This could help to cover you bills for the period in which you ill. For those that are self-employed that receive no sick pay, this could a useful form of financial security to have. This is unlikely to be of much help if you’re currently ill and need a more immediate form of funding, but if you’re planning ahead this could be worth investing in.
Know your legal rights
On top of sick pay, you could be legally entitled to other money such as disability benefits for certain chronic conditions. You could also look into legal compensation if you were injured in an accident that was clearly someone else’s fault. There are many solicitors out there such as Bond & Taylor Injury Lawyers that deal with these types of claims. Such compensation could help to fund time off work and could even help fund medication.
Make money online
If you’re not too ill to use a phone or a computer, you could consider small ways to make money online. You could earn money by completing online surveys on sites like Swagbucks. Alternatively, if you’ve got a digital skills such as writing, photo editing or website design, you could consider freelancing this skill for money on a site like Fiverr. Many of these methods of making money can be carried out in your own time and aren’t physically exertive in any way.
Sell your clutter
You may be able to sift through some of your clutter whilst you’re ill (providing you’re not too ill to do this), some of which you may be able to sell for a bit of extra cash. There could be items of value that you can sell on sites like Gumtree – these sites allow you to sell to local buyers with the option for them to pick up these possessions so that you don’t have to leave the house. You may even be able to scrap items for cash such as old electronic devices or old furniture.
Get help from charities
If you’re seriously suffering financially, it’s possible that you may be eligible for financial help from a local charity. There are many charities that provide help for people under a certain income or people that are ill with no support. Get in touch with your local citizen’s advice bureau to help locate these charities.