If you want to claim Illness Benefit, you must apply for it within seven days of the start of your illness or incapacity. To claim Occupational Injury Benefit, you must apply within 21 days. If you do not claim for the Benefit you want within the correct time, you may lose out on a day's payment for each day that you delay.
For example, if you become ill on 1 March, but you apply for Illness Benefit on 10 March, you may lose out on three day's payment because you have applied after 7 March.
If your application is late, we may backdate your payment if you have a good reason for the delay. We normally only backdate payment up to a maximum of six months before we receive your application.
However, it is possible to backdate payment for more than 6 months in certain special cases.
All late applications must be accompanied by medical evidence. Your doctor should be able to advise you on what medical certificates to send us.