If your employees have to take sick leave, they are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay. What is the SPP rate? Learn more about SSP rates and what your responsibilities are when staff are sick.
- Coronavirus: What support is available to small businesses and self-employed?
- Benefits for self-employed: What you need to know
- Employment contract template
- Does employers have to insure themselves against liability?
What is Statutory Sick Pay?
If an employee is unable to work due to illness, they may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay. They must have been absent from work for at least four consecutive days (including non-working days).
These are the ‘waiting days’. You start paying SSP on the fourth “qualifying day” (the day that your employee is most needed to work).
If they work for longer than one minute before going home, a day does not count as sick.
Your sick pay plan may be different from the standard SSP rate. You should include it in your employees’ contracts if you have one. These schemes are called ‘contractual’ and ‘occupational’ sick pays.
It is important to keep accurate records of the absences and sick pay payments of your employees.
What is the Statutory Sick Pay?
To calculate the amount of SSP you should pay your employees, you can use the weekly SSP Rate.
The UK SSP rate
In 2021-22, the SSP rate is PS96.35 per week up to 28 weeks for employees who have been too ill to work. In 2020-21, the SSP rate was HTML95.85 per week.
If your employee is not off sick for the entire week, you can use a daily SSP Rate. The daily SSP rate is dependent on the number of qualifying days that your employee works and how often they are off sick.
The daily SSP rate can be viewed at gov.uk
Calculator for SSP
You can find a Statutory Sick Pay Calculator on Gov.uk to help you determine how much to pay your sick employees.
What do I need to do to be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay
According to Gov.uk, SSP is available for employees who:
- Have an employment contract
- You have been working under the contract
- Have been sick for at least four consecutive days, including non-working day.
- On average, you can earn PS120 per week
- Give them notice of their illness
- After seven days, they must show you evidence of their illness.
Acas (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service), states that SSP is available to agency, casual, and zero-hour employees if they meet certain eligibility requirements.
However, there are some exceptions that could make your employee ineligible for sick pay. This includes employees who have had at least 28 weeks of SSP, and employees who are receiving Statutory Maternity Payment (there are other rules).
If employees are frequently ill, they may be eligible for ‘linked’ sickness periods. SSP entitlements are gradually reduced for linked periods. These linked periods must be for at least four days and last no more than eight weeks. If someone goes off for four weeks, but becomes ill within 56 days, they will have 24 weeks of SSP remaining.
Employees are not eligible for SSP if they have been linked for more than three consecutive years.
Statutory Sick Pay Form SSP1
Your employee may be eligible for SSP if their SSP is not ending or if they aren’t eligible, then they may be eligible to claim Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. These employees will need to be sent SSP1 forms.
Employees who don’t have SSP must be notified within seven days of taking sick leave.
You must send SSP1 to an employee who is currently receiving SSP, but whose situation has changed and they are no longer eligible. You must send SSP1 to employees whose SSP will end prior to their illness.
How do you claim Statutory Sick Payment for Coronavirus
SSP can only be reclaimed from the government by employees who have been affected by coronavirus-related SSP . SSP can’t be reclaimed by employees who were offended for any other reason.
If you:
- Employee was absent from work due to Covid-19 or self-isolating as a result of Covid-19
- Employee was absent from work due to shielding caused by coronavirus (previously 26 April 2021, 12 April 2021 and Northern Ireland, and 1 April 2021 respectively in England and Wales).
- Payroll scheme PAYE started before or on February 28, 2020
- On February 28, 2020, the business had less than 250 employees
SSP can be claimed by an employee from the first day of work. You don’t have to present a medical doctor’s note to be eligible for SSP. You can request an isolation note from them without visiting a doctor. They can do this online by going to NHS 111 and filling out a form.
You can ask them to send you a letter from their GP if they are shielding you because they are at risk of serious illness due to coronavirus.
According to the CIPD, which is the professional body for HR development and people management, SSP is only available to self-isolating patients who have received medical advice or are ill with symptoms. SSP will not generally be available for self-isolating patients who have not received written medical advice or are without symptoms.
Keep records of any SSP payments due to coronavirus for at least three years from the date you receive payment.
- Dates employees were off sick
- Which days were considered qualifying days?
- Why they were absent from work (e.g. They were sick, self-isolating or shielding from harm.
- Numbers for National Insurance