Gig work over 55: medicals, menopause and fatigue done right

Who this is for

You are 55 plus and driving Uber, Bolt, Addison Lee or Amazon Flex, or you are thinking about starting. Maybe you took early retirement and need income. Maybe you are bridging to State Pension age. Maybe you are a woman going through perimenopause or menopause and struggling with concentration on night shifts. Licensing, medicals, fatigue and tax all work differently once you cross 45 for Group 2 medicals and again at 55 for pension access. Here is the over-55 playbook.

Your first moves (first 30 days)

• Book a Group 2 medical if you are renewing your PHV licence and over 45. It is mandatory for all PHV drivers in most councils and for all HGV drivers regardless of age. Costs £90 to £180 through a GP or private provider. Do not wait until your licence expires.
• If you have private pension access (55 plus from April 2028 it becomes 57, currently 55): run the tax interaction. Drawing pension plus gig income can push you into a higher rate band and trigger payments on account you did not expect.
• Build fatigue discipline in now. Guide 8.4 sets out the real numbers: 16 hours awake is equivalent to 0.05 blood alcohol. Cap your on-app time at 10 to 12 hours and take a proper 30-minute break mid-shift. HSE treats you as a peripatetic worker with welfare rights.
• If you are a woman experiencing menopause symptoms: ACAS guidance and the Equality Act 2010 age and sex grounds can apply if a platform treats you adversely. Keep a symptom diary, especially if night driving becomes unsafe.
• Review your emergency fund target. Illness recovery takes longer at 55 plus. Aim for 3 to 6 months of core costs, not the 1 to 2 months younger drivers get away with.

Guides you need

• managing fatigue as an older gig driver
• mental health, menopause and gig driving
• Group 2 medical requirements by council
• building a 3 to 6 month emergency fund
• NI after State Pension age: what stops
• PHV insurance premiums for over-55s
• Pension Credit and gig income stacking
• age discrimination under the Equality Act 2010

Tools you need

• sa tax shock estimator — pension drawdown plus gig income bill
• sick day benefit mix — New Style ESA, UC and PIP routing for older drivers
• class 2 voluntary payment — protecting State Pension qualifying years
• nmw shortfall check — Aslam waiting-time model against your actual log-on hours

Crisis pages to bookmark

• broken wrist off 10 weeks — over-55 recovery timescales
• accident while working — insurance, PI claims and platform cover
• cant afford january tax — HMRC Time to Pay when pension income complicates things

Last reviewed

19 April 2026