Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Printable version
1. Overview
You can get up to £123.25 per week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you’re too ill to work. It’s paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks.
This guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg).
You cannot get less than the statutory amount. You can get more if your company has a sick pay scheme (or ‘occupational scheme’) - check your employment contract.
There are different sick pay rules for agricultural workers.
There’s a separate guide on Statutory Sick Pay if you’re an employer.
2. What you'll get
If you’re eligible, you can get £123.25 a week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) or 80% of your normal weekly earnings - whichever is lower. It’s paid for up to 28 weeks.
You’ll be paid SSP for all the full days you’re off sick that you normally would have worked.
Your employer will use your average weekly earnings over an 8-week period to work out much you get. You still qualify if you started your job recently and have not yet received 8 weeks’ pay. Ask your employer to find out more.
How you’re paid
SSP is paid by your employer in the same way as your normal wages, for example weekly or monthly.
If you have more than one job, you may get SSP from each employer.
Tax and National Insurance will be deducted.
If you think you’re not getting the right amount of SSP, talk to your employer. If you’re still not happy, contact the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enquiry line.
3. Eligibility
To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) you must:
- be classed as an employee
- have done some work for your employer
- have been ill for at least one full working day
Agency workers may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay.
Telling your employer
You must usually tell your employer you’re unable to work before the deadline they set (or within 7 days if they have not set one).
You could lose some of your SSP if you do not tell your employer in time.
Exceptions
You will not qualify if you:
- have received the maximum amount of SSP (28 weeks)
- are getting Statutory Maternity Pay
Linked periods of sickness
If you have regular periods of sickness, they may count as ‘linked’. To be linked, the periods must:
- last more than one full working day
- be 8 weeks or less apart
You’re no longer eligible for SSP if you have a continuous series of linked periods that lasts more than 3 years.
Fit notes and asking for proof
You must give your employer a fit note if you’re off work for more than 7 days in a row (including non-working days).
You can get a fit note (sometimes called a sick note) from the following healthcare professionals:
- GP or hospital doctor
- registered nurse
- occupational therapist
- pharmacist
- physiotherapist
The note can be printed or digital.
Other proof of sickness
If your employer agrees, you can give them another appropriate form of evidence instead of a fit note, such as:
- an Allied Health Professional (AHP) Health and Work Report from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, for example
- a plan to support a return to work
If you’re not eligible or your SSP ends
You may be able to apply for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). You can use form SSP1 to support your application.
If your SSP is ending, your employer must send you form SSP1 either:
- within 7 days of your SSP ending, if it ends unexpectedly while you’re still sick
- on or before the beginning of the 23rd week, if your SSP is expected to end before your sickness does
If you do not qualify for SSP, your employer must send you form SSP1 within 7 days of your first day off sick.
4. How to claim
To claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), tell your employer by the deadline.
Check with your employer how you should tell them. If your employer needs something in writing, you can use form SC2.
If you’re unhappy with a decision
Talk to your employer if you think:
- their decision not to pay you SSP is wrong
- you’re not getting the right amount of SSP
You can ask them for a reason.
If this does not resolve the problem, contact the HMRC Statutory Payment Disputes Team.