How much is statutory sick pay?

What is statutory sick pay (SSP)?

Statutory sick pay, or SSP, is the minimum you must legally be paid if you're off sick from work. 

SSP is paid to employees of companies in the UK, who are off sick for at least four days in a row. Some employers offer more generous sick pay policies, often known as company sick pay. But even if they don't offer a company sick pay policy, they must pay you statutory sick pay. 

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How much statutory sick pay (SSP) will I get?

While you're on sick leave, the standard weekly rate for SSP from April 2026 is £123.25 a week, payable for up to 28 weeks (or 80% of your normal weekly earnings –  whichever is lower). Sick pay is usually paid on your normal monthly or weekly payday. 

The average earnings figure is calculated over the eight weeks before you became ill.

As statutory sick pay is likely to be far lower than your usual salary, if your employer doesn't offer a generous company scheme you may want to consider an income protection insurance policy to cover your salary if you're unable to work because of illness or accident.

Check if you're entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP)

You're usually entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP) if:

• You're a full-time or part-time employee, either on a permanent or fixed-term contract
• You're a casual staff member
• You're an agency worker
• You're a temporary worker

SSP is not means tested, so your savings and other income won't be taken into account when calculating the sick pay you'll receive. It's usually paid by your employer. If your employer goes bust, HMRC will pay your SSP instead. 

Many employers pay out more than the statutory minimum and for longer than 28 weeks. You'll find details of your company sick pay entitlement in your written statement of employment, which you should receive within two months of starting work. Agency workers qualify for SSP.

You're not eligible for SSP if you're receiving: statutory maternity, paternity, adoption or additional paternity pay.

If your SSP has ended, or you don't qualify for it, your employer must fill in and give you form SSP1. This form explains why SSP has not been paid or why it is ending, as well as the last date of payment.

Once SSP runs out, if you're still unable to work due to a long-term condition, you may be able to claim for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit. You can apply for new style ESA up to three months before your SSP ends. 

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Is statutory sick pay taxable?

Usually yes. Statutory sick pay is treated as earned income, so you'll have to pay both income tax and Class 1 National Insurance contributions on it in the same way you would on your salary.

As statutory sick pay will probably be lower than your usual salary, though, you may find that most of your income is covered by the annual tax-free allowance (which is £12,570 in the 2026-27 tax year). So, in practice, you won't have as much – if any – tax to pay. 

• Find out more: tax-free income and allowances

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When do I have to tell my employer I'm sick?

You should tell your employer as soon as you become unwell and unable to work. Some employers set a deadline by which you need to inform them; otherwise, you must tell them within seven days. If you don't tell your employer in time, you could lose some of your SSP. 

For the first seven days of sickness, you will usually be asked by your employer to fill in a 'self-certificate'. You shouldn't be asked to provide medical evidence for these seven days .

If you're ill for more than a week, your employer can ask you to provide medical evidence from your doctor. If, for example, a doctor's 'fit note', which replaced the 'sick note' in April 2010, says you're not fit for work, this will usually be accepted as evidence that you are sick.

If your employer refuses to pay you SSP, ask it to explain why. If you can't reach an agreement, you can call HMRC's statutory payment dispute team on 0300 322 9422 for further advice.

Can I claim statutory sick pay if I'm self-employed?

Unfortunately not. Statutory sick pay is only payable to those employed by a company. People who work for themselves aren't able to claim it.

Instead, you could claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), a state benefit that was introduced in 2008. It is payable to people who have an illness or disability and are unable to work as a result.

New Employment and Support Allowance claimants will have to apply for new style ESA. To qualify for this, you'll need to have previously been self-employed (or worked as an employee), and have paid enough National Insurance contributions, usually in the last two to three years. 

You'll need to go through a work assessment, after which you'll be placed into one of two groups – a work-related activity group, for those who may be able to work in the future, and a support group, for those whose illness will stop them from working.

This table shows how much weekly ESA you're entitled to during and after the assessment period in 2026-27:

Existing ESA claimants may be on a previous form of the benefit, known as income-related ESA. You can find out more about ESA on gov.uk.