Check if you can get sick pay

You might be able to get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) when you're off work sick. It depends on your earnings and your situation.

You can't get SSP for the first 3 days you're off sick but after that you can get £116.75 a week for up to 28 weeks.

Your employer might also pay you their own sick pay - usually called ‘contractual sick pay’ (CSP). You get CSP and SSP at the same time.

Check the main eligibility rules

If you work for an employer, you can usually get SSP if you:

• have started work with your employer

• are sick for 4 full days or more in a row, including your non-working days

• earn at least £123 a week on average, before tax

You’ll also need to follow your employer’s rules for getting SSP - check your contract or staff handbook.

You can’t get SSP if you:

• are self-employed

• had SSP for 28 weeks and the 28 weeks ended within the last 8 weeks

• were paid Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) in the last 12 weeks

• are in the armed forces

• are in legal custody, detained either by the police or in prison

• have an agricultural workers contract from before 1 October 2013

You can read about agricultural sick pay on GOV.UK.

If you’re on maternity leave

You can’t get paid SSP if you’re getting Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) or Maternity Allowance (MA).

Even if you’re not getting SMP and MA you can’t get SSP for the first 18 weeks of your maternity leave.

Your first 18 weeks starts when, either:

• you give birth

• you’re off sick for a pregnancy-related reason in the 4 weeks before your due date

If you’re part-time or an agency worker

If your employer takes off tax and National Insurance from your pay or you earn at least £123 a week on average, you can get SSP. This includes if you:

• work part-time

• are on a zero-hours contract

• are on a fixed-term contract 

If you get sick when you’re temping and can’t go to work, you might be able to get SSP until your job ends.

If you agreed to do another job, you might get SSP until the end of that job as well.

If you don’t have a job when you get sick, you can’t get SSP.

You’re on a zero-hours contract

You can still get SSP - you should ask your employer for it. If they say no, ask them to explain why. They might say you don’t have any ‘qualifying days’ - these are your shifts that are on the same day from week to week.

Check how to work out your qualifying days to get SSP

You should make a list of when you have recently worked. Write down any days in your weekly shifts that have been the same from week to week - your qualifying days.

For example, you might have worked on Tuesday and Thursday every week for the past 8 weeks - so Tuesday and Thursday will be your qualifying days. You can look back more than 8 weeks if you think it will help your case - there are no rules on how far back you can look.

If you and your employer can't agree on your qualifying days, you can check what to do if your employer refuses to pay you sick pay.

Check if you can get contractual sick pay CSP

Your contract might say you can get (CSP) - this is sick pay your employer might pay as well as SSP. 

How much CSP you get and how long you get it for will depend on what your contract says. You might get CSP from your first day off sick. CSP can’t be less than £116.75 a week.

If your contract doesn't mention sick pay or you don't have a contract, you should ask your employer. You might also find details about CSP in your staff handbook or intranet.

If your employer doesn’t pay CSP then you should get SSP from day 4 of being off sick.

Check if you can get SSP in your situation

The SSP rules can change depending on your situation.

If your employer says you can’t get SSP

Ask your employer to give you a written explanation of their reasons. They should give you this on a form called ‘statutory sick pay and an employee's claim for benefit (SSP1)’. You should be given the form within 7 days of you going off sick. You’ll need the SSP1 form to claim benefits.

If your employer hasn’t given you form SSP1, you should first ask them for a written statement explaining why you can’t get SSP. You could also give them a copy of the form to fill in - you can get the SSP1 form on GOV.UK.

If you can’t get form SSP1 or a written statement from your employer

Contact HMRC’s Statutory Payment Dispute Team. They’ll ask your employer why they think you’re not entitled to SSP.

You’ll need to have this information ready when you to talk to HMRC:

• your name, address and national insurance number
• your employer's name and contact details
• your payroll number
• details of when you were off sick
• what your employer said when you asked for SSP and the SSP1 form

Relay UK - if you can't hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say: 18001 then 0300 322 9422

You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on the Relay UK website.

If you’re sure you can’t get SSP, you’ll still need an SSP1 form to claim any benefits you might be eligible for - check what benefits you can get.

If you think your employer is wrong 

You can challenge your employer on this - check what to do if your employer refuses to pay you sick pay.

If you think you’ve been treated unfairly

You shouldn’t be made to feel bad about asking for sick pay. If you think you’ve been treated unfairly, disciplined or dismissed, you might be able to take action.

It’s usually better if you have an informal chat with your employer first. If this doesn’t resolve your issue, you can check how to deal with a grievance at work.

If your employer has disciplined you because you asked for sick pay, you can check how to deal with disciplinary action at work.

You can also check if your dismissal is unfair.

Check what extra money you could get

If your income is reduced while you’re off sick, you might be able to claim benefits. You should first check if you can get Universal Credit.

If you’re not eligible for Universal Credit, you can check what other benefits you can get.

If you need long-term help doing everyday tasks or getting around, you might also be able to get Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

You’ll need an SSP1 form to claim any benefit. You can ask your employer for it or you can get an SSP1 form on GOV.UK.

If you already get benefits and tax credits

You’ll still get your working or child tax credits when you’re getting SSP.

Some benefits might increase while your pay is less than usual. You should tell your DWP office about your illness to see if you’re eligible to get more.

Check if you can get a tax refund

You might be able to get a tax refund if you've been off sick.

You still pay tax and National Insurance when you get sick pay, so if your pay is less  than usual you might find you’re paying too much tax and can get some back. You’ll usually get a letter from HMRC saying you’ve paid too much tax and NI - but this might take a while to arrive.

If you think you have paid too much tax while off sick, you can check how to claim a tax refund on GOV.UK.

If you're struggling with living costs

If you’re struggling with money, there are things you can do to save on your regular living costs. Check what to do if you need help with living costs.

If you’re finding it hard to pay your bills, you can get help. Find out more about getting help with your bills.

You can also get help with debts.

If you're struggling to pay for food, find out how to get help from a food bank.