Civil Service sick absence and sick pay

Civil Service sick pay is set by each department, within conditions in the Civil Service management code. The code says departments must set time limits for sick pay and absence, require satisfactory evidence of illness, and monitor absence so that management action is triggered when a record becomes a concern. It gives no single sick pay scale, so the amount you get depends on your department and your length of service.

What the management code requires

Every department’s rules must say that staff who are sick may be absent from work, how long sick pay and absence are allowed for, and what evidence of incapacity is needed before sick absence is allowed. Departments must also make sure that:

• sick absence is managed effectively and kept to a minimum, using monitoring that triggers action when a record is a cause for concern
• sick absence is granted only if there is a reasonable prospect of a return to work
• annual leave is not taken instead of sick absence
• absence is recorded and passed on for statistics
• any Social Security benefits paid during sickness count within the limit of full pay

The last point sets a cap: your occupational sick pay and any statutory benefits together cannot go above your normal pay.

How it fits with Statutory Sick Pay

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the legal minimum, paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks. GOV.UK says you may get more if your employer has an occupational sick pay scheme, so check your contract. Our guide to Statutory Sick Pay has the current weekly rate and eligibility rules. Social Security benefits paid during sickness count towards the full-pay limit, so your total stops at your normal pay.

Attendance management and trigger points

The code requires monitoring that triggers management action when a sick absence record could be a cause for concern, but it does not say what the trigger points are. Those, and the steps that follow, are in your department’s attendance policy, so read it rather than assuming. If you have a disability or long-term condition, ask HR or your union representative how the policy treats it.

If your illness is long term

Sick absence is granted on the basis of a reasonable prospect of a return. Where that is in doubt, the code covers medical retirement and the notice that goes with it. If you are in the pension scheme, see Civil Service pension (alpha) and speak to your pension administrator before any decision. For dismissal on capability grounds, the code requires an internal right of appeal on efficiency dismissals.

What to check in your own terms

• how many days of full pay and half pay you get, and how that scale rises with service
• whether sick pay depends on a qualifying period, which matters if you started recently
• your department’s trigger points and the sequence of meetings
• what evidence you need and from which day

A move from another department may change these terms. The wider package is in Civil Service benefits, and a post offered from a reserve list comes with the same department’s terms as any other appointment. If you need working arrangements to ease a return, the flexible working guide explains how to ask.