Understanding UK Statutory Sick Pay: A Simple Guide

At some point, most employees will need to take time off due to illness. When that happens, it is important to understand how Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) works. If you are an employee or an employer, having a clear picture of what SSP is, how much it is, and who qualifies is key.

This article will cover Statutory Sick Pay and answer some common questions, like how much is statutory sick pay per day and what the current statutory sick pay rates are for 2024.

What is statutory sick pay?

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the minimum amount that employers are legally required to pay employees when they are off work due to illness. It is a social security benefit that ensures workers are not left without income when they are too ill to work.

How much is statutory sick pay in 2024?

For 2024, the statutory sick pay rates are set at £116.75 per week. The rate is reviewed annually, so it’s important to check for any updates. SSP is paid by the employer for up to 28 weeks, it will then cease.

When calculating how much statutory sick pay is per day, you’ll need to divide the weekly rate by the number of qualifying working days. For most employees, this will be five days, which means SSP works out to approximately £23.35 per day.

If an employee or worker is eligible, they are entitled to statutory sick pay for the days they would have worked, except for the first three.

The days they would have worked are called ‘qualifying days’. The first three qualifying days are called ‘waiting days’.

What is the statutory sick pay entitlement?

To be eligible to statutory sick pay, the employee needs to meet certain criteria:

• Classified as an employee (agency workers are also eligible).
• The employee must have been off work due to illness for at least 4 consecutive days (including non-working days).
• They earn £123 per week before tax.
• The employee informed their employer that they are sick (having a robust absence policy for your team to follow is important to ensure fairness and consistency in managing absence).

It is worth noting that employees on strike are not entitled to the payment.

Additionally, if your employee returns to work and later falls ill again with the same illness within eight weeks, it may count as a continuation of the previous sickness period.

How to manage SSP

• Keep exact records of employee’s sickness.
• Keep accurate records of all SSP payments, including the dates and amounts paid. This is essential for both compliance and payroll.
• Employees must provide a fit note (formerly known as a sick note) from their doctor if they are off work for more than 7 days. This helps verify the legitimacy of the sickness claim.
• Keep open lines of communication with your employees. Ensure they understand the process for reporting sickness and claiming SSP.

Additional considerations

If your company offers a contractual or occupational sick pay scheme, you must ensure it meets or exceeds the statutory minimum. Employees cannot receive less than the SSP rate.

Employees continue to accrue annual leave while they are off sick.

Support your employees’ return to work by conducting return-to-work interviews and making reasonable adjustments if necessary.

Conclusion

Understanding and managing SSP is vital for maintaining a supportive and compliant workplace. By ensuring your employees are aware of their rights and obligations, it will support a positive working environment and help your team through periods of illness.

We hope you find this simple guide useful in understanding Statutory Sick Pay, however should you require further information you may wish to visit the UK government’s SSP guidelines to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.

Wishing you and your team good health, however if you or your team do get sick, at least now you know what to expect with SSP!