What is Statutory Sick Pay?
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) can be paid to workers who are unable to work due to illness. By law, employers must pay Statutory Sick Pay to any worker that meets the government criteria. Usually, you need to be off work for 4 days or more in a row to qualify and earn on average at least £118 per week. Self-employed workers are not eligible for SSP, but casual or agency workers are.
How much is Statutory Sick Pay?
SSP entitles workers to get £94.25 per week for up to 28 weeks if they are too ill to work. Tax and National Insurance will be deducted from this amount. This is the minimum amount you will receive though your employer may pay you more, so you should check with them and review your contract first.
Sick pay for self-isolation
If you are unable to work due self-isolating because of COVID-19, you are eligible for SSP from the first day of absence. In these instances, you can obtain an “isolation note” from the NHS 11 website.
Self-employed people who need to self-isolate because of COVID-19 can claim Universal Credit instead.
Who pays Statutory Sick Pay?
SSP will be paid to you by your employer in the same way that your wages are normally paid, i.e. weekly or monthly. If you have more than one employer, you can get SSP from each employer.
How long does Statutory Sick Pay last?
You can claim SSP for up to 28 weeks.
What happens when your sick pay runs out?
If you have a long term illness and you are coming to the end of the 28 week period, you may be entitled to get employment and support allowance. You can start to claim this 3 months before your sick pay ends, as the application process may take a while.
The coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme
Employers will be able to claim coronavirus-related SSP retrospectively through the coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme as of the 26th May 2020. In order to be eligible to claim, the following criteria must be met:
- The employee must be eligible to claim SSP due to coronavirus and not an unrelated reason (either they had coronavirus, they were self-isolating, or they had been instructed to shield because they were at high risk).
- The employer had a PAYE scheme in place on the 28th February 2020.
- The employer had fewer than 250 employees across all PAYE schemes on the 28th February 2020.
- The employer is eligible to receive State Aid under the EU Commission Temporary Framework.
Additionally, as an employer, you must keep a record of all SSP payments you wish to claim for.
If you’re unsure about whether you or your employees are eligible to claim, visit the official government page or get in touch with us. As part of the new coronavirus SSP Rebate Scheme, WKM Accountancy can take all of the stress out the process by doing it on your behalf.
Further reading
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