What is Statutory Sick Pay, and how does it work?
If you're too sick to work, Statutory Sick Pay pays £96.35 per week (from April 6, 2021). Your company will cover it for up to 28 weeks.
Your employer may also have its own sick pay plan, known as a “company” or “occupational” sick pay plan. If you are qualified for Statutory Sick Pay, your employer should pay it to you even if you are not eligible for anything under a business scheme.
Is Statutory Sick Pay available to me?
If any of the following apply to you while working for an employer under a contract of service (even if you've only recently started), you're entitled to Statutory Sick Pay:
you've been unwell for four days in a row (including weekends and bank holidays and days that you do not normally work)
You usually make more than the lower limit of £120 each week (from April 2021)
Self-employed workers are not covered by this scheme, however people on zero-hour contracts who normally make more than the lower earnings limit may be. If you're not sure if you regularly earn more than the maximum, average your gross earnings (before taxes and national insurance) during the eight weeks between your previous normal payday and the pay day at least eight weeks before it.
What does this signify for cases of coronavirus?
If someone is entitled for statutory sick pay, the government declared in March 2020 that they will be paid from the first day they claim it, rather than the fourth, if they need to stay at home due to coronavirus.
This includes persons who are ill or who need to segregate themselves from others in accordance with government guidance (including if they have been advised to shield). It has also encompassed those who are self-isolating prior to being admitted to hospital for planned or elective surgery since August 26, 2020.
If you need to show your employer that you need to stay at home due to coronavirus, you can get an isolation letter from the NHS 111 coronavirus service, which will state that you have been recommended to self-isolate owing to coronavirus.
Select ‘Current claim' for the question ‘Do you receive a disability or illness benefit?' in the calculator if you are an employee and earn more than the lower limit of £120 per week (from April 2021), and we will calculate your entitlement to statutory sick pay.
You can apply for Universal Credit and/or New Style Employment and Support Allowance if you are not eligible for statutory ill pay. For additional information, see our coronavirus assistance page.
If you are working and already receiving Universal Credit and need to self-isolate, make a note of it in your online notebook (including any modifications to your working hours).
For additional information about the coronavirus and its benefits, refer to this government page.
What is the procedure for claiming Statutory Sick Pay?
Your employer will be able to provide you with information on how to apply for Statutory Sick Pay. They might have a sick pay programme that incorporates Statutory Sick Pay.
