Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)

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Eligibility

To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) you must:

  • be classed as an employee
  • have done some work for your employer
  • have been ill for at least one full working day

Agency workers may be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay.

Telling your employer

You must usually tell your employer you’re unable to work before the deadline they set (or within 7 days if they have not set one).

You could lose some of your SSP if you do not tell your employer in time.

Exceptions

You will not qualify if you:

  • have received the maximum amount of SSP (28 weeks)
  • are getting Statutory Maternity Pay

Linked periods of sickness

If you have regular periods of sickness, they may count as ‘linked’. To be linked, the periods must:

  • last more than one full working day
  • be 8 weeks or less apart

You’re no longer eligible for SSP if you have a continuous series of linked periods that lasts more than 3 years.

Fit notes and asking for proof

You must give your employer a fit note if you’re off work for more than 7 days in a row (including non-working days).

You can get a fit note (sometimes called a sick note) from the following healthcare professionals:

  • GP or hospital doctor
  • registered nurse
  • occupational therapist
  • pharmacist
  • physiotherapist

The note can be printed or digital.

Other proof of sickness

If your employer agrees, you can give them another appropriate form of evidence instead of a fit note, such as:

  • an Allied Health Professional (AHP) Health and Work Report from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist, for example
  • a plan to support a return to work

If you’re not eligible or your SSP ends

You may be able to apply for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). You can use form SSP1 to support your application.

If your SSP is ending, your employer must send you form SSP1 either:

  • within 7 days of your SSP ending, if it ends unexpectedly while you’re still sick
  • on or before the beginning of the 23rd week, if your SSP is expected to end before your sickness does

If you do not qualify for SSP, your employer must send you form SSP1 within 7 days of your first day off sick.

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