Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Calculator

Who qualifies

• The individual must be classed as an employee and have done some work under the contract.
• Average weekly earnings must be at or above the lower earnings limit, calculated over the eight weeks before the sickness began.
• The absence must be for four or more consecutive days, including non-working days, which forms a period of incapacity for work.
• The employee must tell you within your notification deadline, or seven days if you have not set one.

Waiting days, qualifying days and linking

1. The first three qualifying days are waiting days and are unpaid.
2. Qualifying days are normally the days the employee usually works, agreed in advance and applied consistently.
3. Two periods of sickness eight weeks apart or less link together, so waiting days are not served again.
4. SSP is payable for up to 28 weeks in any period of entitlement.
5. When SSP is close to running out, issue form SSP1 so the employee can claim state benefits.

Evidence and fit notes

You can ask for self-certification for the first seven calendar days, and a fit note from a GP or other approved healthcare professional after that. A fit note recommending an amended role, altered hours, a phased return or workplace adaptations should be treated as a starting point for discussion, not as an instruction you must follow in full.

Where the absence relates to a condition that could be a disability under the Equality Act 2010, consider an occupational health referral and reasonable adjustments early. Managing capability without medical evidence is the most common route to a discrimination claim.

Company sick pay and absence management

• Contractual sick pay usually absorbs SSP rather than being paid on top. Say so clearly in the contract.
• Trigger points such as the Bradford Factor are useful, but always allow discretion for disability-related and pregnancy-related absence.
• Hold return-to-work conversations after every absence. They deter casual absence and surface underlying issues.
• Keep absence records for at least three years, and treat medical information as special category data under UK GDPR.