Pays
Up to £93.56 a week
Reduced Earnings Allowance pays up to £93.56 a week if you cannot earn as much as you used to because of an accident or disease caused by your work. It is closed to new causes — but not to new claims. The accident must have happened, or the disease started, before 1 October 1990.
Quick facts
- Pays
- Up to £93.56 a week
- Only for
- Accidents or diseases before 1 October 1990
- Disability level
- Assessed at least 1%
- Also check
- Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Who can still claim
You could get Reduced Earnings Allowance if you have an illness or disability caused by a work-related accident or disease that happened before 1 October 1990, and all of the following apply:
- your level of disability is assessed to be at least 1%
- you cannot return to your regular occupation
- you cannot do other work with the same level of earnings as your regular occupation
How it interacts with other benefits
Reduced Earnings Allowance could affect any income-related benefits that you or your partner get, so it is worth checking the net effect before assuming it is all gain. You may also be able to get Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit alongside it.
If you leave the UK to live abroad permanently, you may not be able to keep it.
How to claim Reduced Earnings Allowance
You claim on a paper form, and you should claim straight away.
Have these ready:
- Proof of your identity, if you claim in Northern Ireland
Claim straight away
Do not wait, or you might lose benefit.
Get a form from the Barnsley IIDB centre
Outside Northern Ireland, contact the Barnsley Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit centre to get a claim form.
Fill it in and post it
Fill in the claim form and send it by post.
In Northern Ireland, post or hand it in
Print and fill in the claim form, then post it to the office shown on it, or hand it in at your nearest office.
Phone, forms and how long it takes
In Northern Ireland
- Industrial Injuries Branch (Department for Communities)
- 0300 092 3383
- Claim form
- claim form BI103
In England, Scotland and Wales
- Barnsley IIDB Centre (ask for a claim form)
- 0800 121 8379
From the official pages (gov.uk, communities-ni.gov.uk, nidirect.gov.uk), re-checked every night. Numbers and times can change, so check the official page before you send anything.
Common questions
How much is Reduced Earnings Allowance?
Can I claim for a recent injury?
How disabled do I have to be?
Will it affect my other benefits?
Check the official sources
This guide is general information, not financial advice. Rules, rates and eligibility change and differ by country — always confirm the current details with the relevant official body before you act.
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