Do you know how much Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) you should be paying your employee if they are off sick as a result of COVID-19?

Employees can get £95.85 a week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for up to 28 weeks.

If your employee has a letter stating that they are at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus or advising them to shield, they can get SSP for the period specified in the letter. The letter will need to be from their doctor or health authority.

They can be paid SSP for more than one period of shielding if they get another letter.

If your employee is self-isolating because they or someone they live with has symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus, they must self-isolate for at least four days to be eligible for SSP. They could get SSP for every day they were self-isolating if they started on or after 13 March 2020.

If they started self-isolating before 13 March 2020, they could get SSP from:

• the fourth day they were sick – if they had coronavirus symptoms
• 13 March 2020 – if they were self-isolating because someone they live with had symptoms

If they are self-isolating because of contact with someone with coronavirus, they should self-isolate if they have been notified to do so by the NHS or public health authorities. They must self-isolate for at least four days to be eligible for SSP and can get SSP for every day they were self-isolating from 28 May 2020.

Employees should self-isolate if someone in their ‘support bubble’ (or their ‘extended household’ if they live in Scotland or Wales) has symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus. They must self-isolate for at least four days to be eligible for SSP and they can get SSP for every day they were self-isolating from 6 July 2020. They are not eligible for SSP for any days away from work before 6 July 2020.

If employees have been advised by their doctor or a healthcare professional to self-isolate before going into hospital for surgery, they can get SSP. They must self-isolate for at least four days (including non-working days) to be eligible for SSP.

They can get SSP for every day they are self-isolating. However, they are not eligible for SSP for any day they were self-isolating before 26 August 2020.

If your employee is off sick for another reason, they can get SSP from the fourth day they are off sick. The days they are off sick when they normally would have worked are called ‘qualifying days’. If they are eligible, they will get SSP for all their qualifying days, except for the first three. These are called ‘waiting days.’

They only get paid for waiting days if they have already received SSP within the last 8 weeks, and that included a 3-day waiting period.

SSP is paid by the employer in the same way as the normal wages.

The material contained on this website contains general information only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. While every care has been taken in the preparation of the information on this site, readers are advised to seek specific legal advice in relation to any decision or course of action.