Statutory Sick Pay

Statutory Sick Pay is paid by employers to those who are sick and cannot work.

Basic eligibility

The vast majority of workers will be eligible for sick pay including full and part time staff, agency workers and those working on a fixed term contract.

You must on average earn more than £116 per week, but if you earn below this (or are self-employed), you could instead claim Employment Support Allowance.

How much will I get?

The current weekly rate for SSP is £92.05, although you could get more if your employer has a separate sick pay policy. Check your employment contract to find out if this applies.

You can get SSP for up to 28 days after which if you are still off work sick you can claim ESA.

Those on a low income could also claim Income Support is addition to SSP.

How do I apply?

How you apply for SSP will depend on your employer and their individual procedure for proving that you are unable to work. Most companies have a form that you need to fill in that informs them that you are ill and cannot work.

Another way to inform your employer is to complete an SC2 form (Employee’s Statement of Sickness)

After the first week

The above methods will cover the first week, after which you will need to provide a medical note from your doctor to certify you cannot work

When will I get paid the money?

You can get SSP from the fourth day you are off work sick onwards. That said, if you have been off work sick in the previous eight weeks, you can get SSP from the first day you are off again, as this is calculated as one period of incapacity to work.