What Is Statutory Sick Pay in the UK

Being too ill to work is stressful enough without the added worry of your income suddenly stopping. That’s where Statutory Sick Pay, or SSP, comes into play. It’s a legal requirement in the UK that provides a basic financial safety net, ensuring you still get paid something when you’re unwell.

Unpacking Your Right to Statutory Sick Pay

Think of SSP not as a replacement for your full salary, but as a foundational layer of support mandated by UK law. It’s designed to provide a degree of financial stability during short-term illness, so a few days off doesn’t automatically mean a complete loss of earnings.

It’s your employer, not the government, who pays SSP directly to you, typically through your usual payroll. This system is a crucial part of UK employment law, protecting millions of workers across the country.

What This Guide Covers

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Statutory Sick Pay. We’ll break it all down, piece by piece, so you have a clear and complete picture of what you’re entitled to and what’s expected of you.

• Eligibility Requirements: We’ll explain exactly who qualifies for SSP, looking at everything from your employment status to your average weekly earnings.
• Payment Calculations: You’ll learn how much you can expect to receive and how things like “waiting days” impact your final payment.
• The Claiming Process: We’ll give you a step-by-step overview of how to inform your employer and what proof of sickness you might need to provide.
• Employer Obligations: Understand what your employer is legally required to do, including when and how they must pay you SSP.

Statutory Sick Pay is a crucial part of UK employment law, acting as a baseline protection. It ensures that short-term illness doesn’t automatically lead to a complete loss of income for millions of workers across the country.

For the 2025/26 financial year, the weekly SSP rate is set at £118.75, and it can be paid for up to 28 weeks. To be eligible, you need to earn at least £123 per week and be off sick for at least four consecutive days. It’s important to remember that payments only start from the fourth day of your absence. For more historical data, you can check out details about UK statutory sick pay rates on Statista.com.

To help you get a quick handle on the basics, here’s a simple breakdown of the current SSP system.

Statutory Sick Pay at a Glance (Current System)

This table summarises the key features of the scheme to give you a quick reference.

Now that you have the big picture, we can start digging into the specifics of how it all works.

Who Qualifies for Statutory Sick Pay

Understanding what Statutory Sick Pay is one thing, but figuring out if you can actually get it is the real question. Just because you’re off sick doesn’t mean you automatically qualify. The government has put specific rules in place to create a safety net, but you have to meet a clear set of criteria to be eligible.

First things first, you have to be classed as an employee. This is a broad definition and covers more than just people on full-time, permanent contracts. If you’re a part-time, fixed-term, or even an agency worker, you’re likely covered, as long as you have a contract of employment.

But being an employee is only the starting line. There are a few more hurdles you need to clear to get paid.

The Core Eligibility Criteria

Think of these rules as a checklist. You need a tick in every single box to qualify for SSP. Miss even one, and your employer isn’t legally obliged to pay you.

• You must be an employee: As we’ve mentioned, this means working under a contract of employment.
• You must be ill for at least 4 consecutive days: This is what’s officially called a ‘period of incapacity for work’. It’s important to know that these four days include non-working days, like weekends or bank holidays.
• You must have earned enough: Your average weekly earnings (before tax) need to hit the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL). For the 2025/26 tax year, that magic number is £123 per week.
• You must tell your employer: You need to let your boss know you’re sick, following their deadline. If they don’t have one, you have 7 days.
• You must provide proof of illness: If you’re off for more than 7 days, you’ll need to give your employer a doctor’s ‘fit note’.

These rules are there to make sure SSP goes to employees who genuinely need that short-term financial back-up while they recover.

Earnings and Employment Status Explained

That earnings threshold can be a bit tricky, especially if your pay goes up and down. To figure this out, your employer will look at your average earnings over an eight-week period just before you fell ill. If that average is £123 or more, you’ve met the requirement.

It’s also crucial to understand the difference between being an employee and being self-employed. If you’re a genuinely self-employed contractor or freelancer, you won’t be eligible for SSP. It’s a benefit designed specifically for employees.

Key Takeaway: Getting SSP isn’t just about being unwell. It’s a mix of your employment status, how much you earn, how long you’re off, and whether you’ve followed the right procedures. Every part of the puzzle matters.

Getting to grips with both your company’s policies and the legal minimums is essential. For a more detailed look at managing sickness absence from A to Z, you might want to check out our complete guide on sick leave rules in the UK. It really helps to see how SSP fits into the bigger picture of absence management.

How SSP Payments Actually Work

Knowing you’re eligible for Statutory Sick Pay is one thing, but the next big question is always about the money. How much will you get, when does it start, and how does it actually land in your bank account? Let’s walk through how the payment process really works, step by step.

First off, it’s important to understand that SSP is paid at a flat weekly rate set by the government each year. Think of it as a minimum safety net, not a direct replacement for your full salary. It’s paid by your employer through their normal payroll, on your usual payday, just like your regular wages.

The Waiting Days Rule

Now, here’s a crucial part you need to get your head around: the ‘waiting days’ rule. SSP isn’t paid for the first three days you’re off sick. These are called waiting days, and they’re unpaid. Payment only kicks in from the fourth day of your sickness absence.

Let’s use a simple example to see how this plays out in a typical week:

• Monday: You call in sick. This is Day 1 of your absence.
• Tuesday: You’re still unwell. This is Day 2.
• Wednesday: Still recovering at home. This is Day 3.
• Thursday: This is Day 4, so your SSP entitlement officially begins today.
• Friday: You’re still off, so you’re also entitled to SSP for this day.

In this scenario, even though you were off for the full five-day week, you would only receive SSP for two of those days. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday count as your unpaid waiting days.

Tax, National Insurance, and Multiple Jobs

Just like your normal salary, any SSP you receive is subject to tax and National Insurance contributions. Your employer sorts all this out automatically through their PAYE system, so the amount you receive will already have these deductions taken off. You don’t need to do a thing.

A common question we see is what happens if you have more than one job. The good news is you can claim SSP from multiple employers, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria for each one separately—including earning over £123 a week in each job.

This ensures you get the support you’re entitled to from every employer. Each company will handle your SSP and waiting days independently, based on your absence from that specific role.

If your working hours aren’t a standard 9-to-5, figuring out your rights can feel a bit more confusing. We’ve put together a detailed guide to help clarify things; you can learn more about the specific sick pay entitlement for part-time workers and how the rules apply to different working patterns.

How to Claim Your Statutory Sick Pay

It’s one thing to know you’re eligible for Statutory Sick Pay, but how do you actually go about claiming it? Thankfully, the process is pretty straightforward, but you do need to follow the rules to make sure everything goes smoothly. Getting it right from the start means you’ll get paid without any frustrating delays.

The clock starts ticking the moment you know you’re too ill to come into work. Your very first job is to let your employer know. Most companies have their own procedures for this – a specific person to call or a certain time you need to report in by – so your employee handbook should be your first port of call.

If your company doesn’t have a specific deadline, the official rule is that you have to tell them within seven days. But honestly, it’s always best to let them know as soon as you can.

Providing Proof of Your Sickness

For the first week you’re off, your word is good enough. You can “self-certify” that you’re unwell for the first seven days (this includes weekends and other non-working days). Your boss might just ask you to fill out a form or send an email to confirm this when you’re back on your feet.

Once you’re past that first week, things change. If you’re still sick after seven days, you’ll need to give your employer some official medical evidence.

This is where a ‘fit note’ comes in (you might still hear it called a ‘sick note’). You’ll need to get one from a healthcare professional, like your GP, to confirm you’re not well enough to work. This is an essential step for any longer absence.

Think of the fit note as the official proof your employer needs to keep paying your SSP. Without it, they are within their rights to stop the payments.

What to Do if There Is a Problem

So, what happens if you’ve done everything right, but your employer is refusing to pay or is disputing your claim? It’s a horrible situation to be in, but you absolutely have rights and there are people who can help.

Your first step should be to try and sort it out directly with your employer. Ask them to put in writing exactly why they’re not paying your SSP. Sometimes, it’s just a simple misunderstanding that a quick chat can resolve.

If talking doesn’t get you anywhere, you have other options:

• Contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC): They run a statutory payments dispute team that can step in, look at your case, and make a formal ruling.
• Get in touch with Acas: The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service provides free, impartial advice on all sorts of workplace issues and can help mediate.
• Talk to Citizens Advice: They are fantastic for getting clear guidance on your rights and figuring out what your next move should be.

Remember, Statutory Sick Pay is a legal right, not a perk. If you meet the criteria, you are entitled to receive it.

Understanding Your Employer’s SSP Duties

While employees are trying to figure out if they qualify for sick pay, employers are on the other side of the coin, dealing with a specific set of legal responsibilities. Getting Statutory Sick Pay right isn’t just good practice; it’s a legal must-have designed to make sure sick employees get the support they’re entitled to under UK law.

At its heart, an employer’s main job is to pay the correct amount of SSP on the employee’s usual payday, for a maximum of 28 weeks. It also means keeping meticulous records of all SSP payments for at least three years after the tax year they relate to. For many businesses, this requires solid financial planning and sometimes looking into options like funding for payroll to manage cash flow.

When an Employee Doesn’t Qualify

So, what happens if someone on your team doesn’t meet the SSP criteria? Your responsibility doesn’t just stop there. You have to issue a specific form to the employee to officially let them know.

This form is called SSP1, and it’s absolutely crucial. You must give it to the employee within seven days of them going off sick if they don’t qualify from the start, or within seven days of their SSP ending if they’re still unwell.

This piece of paper is their key to applying for other state benefits, like Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). Without it, their application could get stuck in limbo, causing unnecessary stress and delay.

Contractual Sick Pay vs SSP

Many companies choose to offer a sick pay scheme that’s more generous than the legal minimum. This is often called contractual sick pay or simply company sick pay, and it’s important to know how it works alongside SSP.

A company sick pay scheme can’t offer less than the SSP amount. If your company pays more than the statutory rate—say, £200 per week—that payment is understood to include the SSP. You don’t get both payments stacked on top of each other; the contractual pay simply tops up the statutory amount. In this example, the £200 would include the £118.75 SSP entitlement.

Juggling these different rules and entitlements can get tricky, which is why a clear framework is so important. A well-defined policy on sickness absence helps everyone know where they stand, ensuring fairness and keeping you compliant.

The Future of Statutory Sick Pay Reforms

The world of UK employment rights doesn’t stand still, and Statutory Sick Pay is no exception. Big changes are on the horizon, set to reshape how SSP works for millions of us. Getting to grips with these upcoming adjustments is crucial, whether you’re an employee wanting to know your future rights or an employer needing to get your systems ready.

Major reforms to the SSP system are slated to kick in from April 2026 under the UK Employment Rights Bill, with the goal of making things fairer and more accessible. One of the headline changes is ditching the three unpaid waiting days, meaning employees will get SSP from the very first day they’re off sick, not day four.

On top of that, the plan is to remove the Lower Earnings Limit, which will open up SSP to all employees, no matter how much they earn each week. The calculation is also getting an overhaul—it’ll be 80% of an employee’s usual weekly earnings or the existing flat rate, whichever is lower. You can dive deeper into the specifics by reading the official statutory sick pay report.

Key Changes on the Horizon

These proposed tweaks aren’t just minor adjustments; they represent a fundamental shift towards building a more inclusive safety net. The idea is simple: financial worries shouldn’t stop people from taking the time they genuinely need to recover.

Here’s what’s coming:

• Day One Right to SSP: Getting rid of the three ‘waiting days’ means financial support will kick in immediately. This is a massive deal for people on lower incomes, who are often hit the hardest by even a few days of unpaid absence.
• Abolishing the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL): Right now, you have to earn at least £123 a week to even qualify. Scrapping this rule would bring over a million low-paid workers into the fold, many of whom are in part-time or less secure jobs.

This image helps visualise some of the key timeframes in the current system, especially that initial waiting period which is about to become a thing of the past.

As you can see, the chart really highlights that three-day unpaid gap that the new reforms are designed to close, showing just how significant that change will be.

Comparing the Old with the New

To really see what these changes mean in practice, it helps to put the old and new systems side-by-side. The table below breaks down the key differences between how SSP works today and how it’s expected to work in the future.

Current SSP System vs Proposed Reforms

Ultimately, these changes signal a move towards a more flexible and supportive system. For businesses, it’s a heads-up to start updating payroll processes and HR policies well before the 2026 deadline. And for employees, it offers the promise of a much stronger financial safety net for when they need it most.

Got Questions About SSP?

The world of Statutory Sick Pay can seem a bit complicated, and it’s natural to have questions pop up. Let’s tackle some of the most common queries people have about their rights and how SSP fits in with other pay arrangements.

Can I Get SSP If I Only Work Part-Time?

Yes, absolutely. What matters for SSP isn’t how many hours you clock in, but what you earn on average each week. As long as your earnings hit the Lower Earnings Limit, which is £123 per week for the 2025/26 tax year, you’ve ticked the earnings box for eligibility. It makes no difference whether you’re full-time or part-time.

What If My Employer Offers Their Own Sick Pay Scheme?

If your company has its own sick pay scheme (often called a contractual or occupational scheme), the law says it has to be at least as good as SSP, if not better. You won’t get both payments stacked on top of each other.

Think of it this way: your company’s payment usually swallows up the SSP amount. So, if your company scheme pays you £150 for a week off sick, that figure already includes the £118.75 you’re entitled to under SSP.

What Happens When My SSP Ends?

Statutory Sick Pay has a time limit—it runs for a maximum of 28 weeks. If you’re still not well enough to come back to work after that, your employer is legally required to give you a form called SSP1.

This form is your key to accessing further financial help. You can use it to apply for other government support, like Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), to help you through a longer period of illness.

Is Statutory Sick Pay Taxed?
Yep, it is. SSP is treated just like your normal wages. That means it’s subject to both Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. Your employer will sort out all the deductions through their usual payroll process, so the amount that hits your bank account will already be taxed.