Statutory Sick Pay

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for 2026/27 is £123.25 a week, or 80 per cent of your average weekly earnings if that is lower. Since 6 April 2026 it is paid from your first day of sickness, and the old lower earnings limit has gone, so low-paid and part-time employees now qualify. Your employer pays it for up to 28 weeks.

What changed in April 2026

The Employment Rights Act 2025 changed SSP from 6 April 2026. Before then you got nothing for the first three “waiting days” of a spell of sickness, and you had to earn at least the lower earnings limit to qualify at all. Both rules went. In return for opening SSP up to lower earners, the rate became the lower of the flat rate and 80 per cent of what you normally earn, so nobody gets more in SSP than they would have earned. Our guide to the Employment Rights Act 2025 covers the other changes and when they apply.

Who qualifies

According to gov.uk, you need to:

• be classed as an employee (this includes agency workers)
• have done some work for the employer
• be ill for at least one full working day

There is no minimum length of service and no earnings threshold. If you have more than one job, you can get SSP from each employer.

You do not qualify if, for example, you are getting Statutory Maternity Pay, or you have already had the maximum 28 weeks of SSP in the same period of sickness. Self-employed people do not get SSP.

How much you get

The weekly figure is the lower of two amounts: £123.25, or 80 per cent of your average weekly earnings. For most full-time public sector staff, 80 per cent of earnings is far above £123.25, so they get the flat rate.

Average weekly earnings	80% of earnings	SSP a week
£100	£80	£80
£150	£120	£120
£200	£160	£123.25
£500	£400	£123.25

SSP is paid for the days you would normally have worked, which the rules call qualifying days. If you normally work five days a week, the daily rate at the flat rate is £24.65. If you work fewer days, the weekly amount is split across those days.

SSP and your employer’s sick pay

Most public sector employees never see SSP on its own, because their employer’s occupational sick pay scheme pays more. NHS, council and school staff get full pay and then half pay for set periods depending on length of service. SSP is usually counted inside that sick pay and not paid on top. Your payslip may show it as a separate line even though your total does not change.

SSP matters when occupational sick pay runs out or drops to half pay, and for staff in their first months in a post before they qualify for the employer’s scheme. See NHS sick pay, teachers’ sick pay and sick pay for council staff for those schemes.

Telling your employer and proving you are ill

Your employer can set its own rules on how and when you report sickness, such as phoning a manager before your shift. Follow them, because SSP can be withheld for days before you told your employer, though an employer cannot insist on a deadline earlier than the law allows.

For the first 7 calendar days you can self-certify, usually by filling in a form when you return. After 7 days you need a fit note, which since 1 July 2022 can come from a doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, pharmacist or physiotherapist.

When SSP ends

SSP stops after 28 weeks in one period of sickness, or earlier if you return to work or your employment ends. Your employer should tell you in advance when your SSP is about to run out, so you can look at claiming benefits such as Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance.

Employers cannot reclaim SSP from the government, so they pay it from their own budget. That does not change what you are owed. If your SSP is missing or looks wrong, check your payslip against the rate above, then ask payroll. If that does not resolve it, HMRC can make a formal ruling and ACAS can talk you through your options.