Statutory Sick Pay calculator

What this calculator does

If you are off sick and paid only the statutory minimum, the question is blunt: how much money is actually coming in, and for how long?

This calculator answers both. It works out your weekly rate, shows which of the two possible rates applies to you and why, and totals it across the time you are away.

What changed in April 2026

Two changes, both of which make a real difference, and both of which older advice still gets wrong.

Waiting days are gone

The first three days of any sickness absence used to be unpaid. They were called waiting days, and they meant a short absence paid nothing at all — three days off sick produced three days of no income.

They have been abolished. SSP is now paid from your first qualifying day of absence. For short, frequent absences this is the single biggest improvement, and it is what the chart above the calculator illustrates.

The Lower Earnings Limit is gone

You used to need to earn at least £125 a week to qualify for SSP at all. Below that threshold you got nothing, no matter how long you were ill.

That condition has been removed entirely. Every employee now qualifies regardless of earnings, which brought roughly 1.3 million more workers into the system — overwhelmingly part-time and low-paid staff, and disproportionately women.

Using it

Average weekly earnings

Your gross pay, before tax, averaged over the eight weeks before your absence began. If your pay varies, take the average across that whole period rather than picking a typical week.

This figure only changes your answer if you earn under roughly £154 a week. Above that, the flat rate is lower than 80% of your earnings, so the flat rate is what you get.

Weeks off sick

How long you are away from work. You can enter a part week, such as 0.5. Statutory Sick Pay runs for a maximum of 28 weeks in any one period of sickness, and the calculator will tell you if you go past it.

How much you get

You receive whichever of these two figures is lower:

• The flat weekly rate of £123.25
• 80% of your average weekly earnings

Most people get the flat rate, because for most people 80% of their earnings is comfortably more than it. The 80% rule exists to sit alongside the removal of the earnings threshold: it means a low earner gets something proportionate rather than a flat rate that might exceed their normal pay.

Someone earning £100 a week receives £80. Before April 2026 they would have received nothing at all.

How long it lasts

SSP runs from day one now. When it ends, other support may apply — your employer should give you form SSP1 to help you claim.

SSP runs for up to 28 weeks in any one period of sickness. After that it stops.

If you are still unable to work, you may be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit instead. Your employer should give you form SSP1 when your SSP is coming to an end, and that form supports the claim — ask for it if it does not arrive, because the transition is easier if you start it before the money stops.

Separate periods of sickness can be linked if they are close together, which affects how the 28 weeks is counted. If you have had several absences, your employer or HR should be able to tell you where you stand.

Who qualifies

You need to be classed as an employee, to have done some work for your employer, and to be off sick. That is now essentially the whole test.

Part-time workers qualify. Zero-hours and agency workers can qualify, provided they count as employees and have done some work for the employer. The earnings threshold that used to exclude many of these people has gone.

You still need to tell your employer within their deadline, or within seven days if they have not set one. Missing that can cost you the payment, so report sickness promptly even if you feel too unwell to deal with it.

Self-certifying and fit notes

For the first seven calendar days you can self-certify — you simply tell your employer you are unwell. Some employers have a form; that is their process, not a legal requirement.

Beyond seven days your employer can ask for a fit note from a GP or other healthcare professional, and most will. A fit note can say you are not fit for work, or that you may be fit with adjustments such as reduced hours, altered duties or a phased return.

Company sick pay

Many employers pay considerably more than the statutory minimum. A common arrangement is full pay for a number of weeks, then half pay, before dropping to SSP.

SSP is the legal floor, not a prediction of what you will receive. Check your contract or staff handbook before assuming the figure from this calculator is your income — for a lot of people it will be considerably more.

If you are receiving company sick pay, SSP is normally included within it rather than paid on top.

What this calculator cannot do

It calculates Statutory Sick Pay only. It does not know your contractual sick pay scheme, which for many people is the number that matters.

It does not cover Statutory Maternity, Paternity, Adoption or Parental Bereavement Pay, which are separate schemes with their own rates. It does not calculate Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit for after your 28 weeks run out.

It also cannot tell you whether a particular absence qualifies, or how linked periods of sickness affect your 28 weeks. For those, ask your employer, or contact Acas for free impartial advice.

To see what a period on reduced pay does to your monthly income overall, the take-home pay calculator may be useful alongside this one.

A worked example

Two people, both off sick for two weeks, with very different earnings.

Before April 2026 the second person would have received nothing: their earnings were below the threshold, and the first three days were unpaid anyway.

Returning to work

A fit note can say you "may be fit for work" with adjustments rather than simply signing you off. Common adjustments are a phased return on reduced hours, altered duties, or different start times.

Your employer does not have to accept the suggested adjustments, but they should consider them. If your condition counts as a disability, they have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments — which is a stronger obligation.

During a phased return on reduced hours, whether you receive full pay, part pay, or a mix of pay and SSP depends on your employer's policy. Agree this in advance rather than discovering it on your payslip.

Sick pay and holiday together

You continue to build up holiday entitlement while off sick, for the whole period, however long it lasts.

If you fall ill during booked holiday, you can normally ask for those days to be reclassified as sick leave and take the holiday another time. And if you could not take your leave because you were off sick, you are generally allowed to carry it over rather than lose it.

Some people choose to take annual leave during long-term sickness precisely because holiday is paid at full pay while SSP is not. That is allowed, and it can make a significant difference to income during a long absence.

If your employer will not pay

If you believe you are entitled to SSP and your employer refuses, ask them for form SSP1, which sets out their reason. Then contact the HMRC statutory payment disputes team, who can make a formal decision.

Your employer cannot dismiss you for claiming SSP you are entitled to, and dismissal connected to a disability raises discrimination issues. Acas gives free impartial advice, and tribunal time limits are short — usually three months less one day.

Questions people ask

What changed with sick pay in April 2026?

Two significant changes took effect on 6 April 2026 — the biggest reform to Statutory Sick Pay since 1985.

• Waiting days were abolished. The first three days of sickness used to be unpaid. SSP now starts from your first qualifying day.
• The Lower Earnings Limit was removed. You used to need to earn at least £125 a week to qualify at all. Now every employee qualifies regardless of earnings.

Around 1.3 million more workers are covered as a result. Calculators still showing "first three days unpaid" have not been updated.

How much Statutory Sick Pay will I get?

Whichever is lower: the flat weekly rate, or 80% of your average weekly earnings.

Most people get the flat rate. The 80% rule only bites if you earn under about £154 a week — it was introduced alongside the removal of the earnings threshold so that low earners get something proportionate rather than nothing.

How are my average weekly earnings worked out?

From your gross earnings over the eight weeks before your absence began. If your pay varies, it is the average across that period rather than a typical week.

How long does sick pay last?

Up to 28 weeks for any one period of sickness. After that SSP stops.

If you are still unable to work, you may be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit instead. Your employer should give you form SSP1 when your SSP is ending, which supports that claim.

Do I need a fit note from my doctor?

You can self-certify for the first seven calendar days — you simply tell your employer you are unwell. Beyond seven days your employer can ask for a fit note from a GP or other healthcare professional, and most will.

Does my employer have to pay more than the statutory minimum?

No, but many do. Contractual or "occupational" sick pay often means full pay for a set number of weeks, then half pay, before dropping to SSP.

SSP is the legal floor, not necessarily what you will receive. Check your contract or staff handbook first — you may be entitled to considerably more.

Can I get sick pay if I work part time or on a zero-hours contract?

Yes. Since the Lower Earnings Limit was removed in April 2026, part-time and low-paid employees qualify like anyone else. Agency workers and those on zero-hours contracts can qualify too, provided they count as employees and have done some work for the employer.

Is Statutory Sick Pay taxed?

Yes. SSP is treated as earnings, so income tax and National Insurance are deducted in the normal way through payroll. It is paid by your employer, not by the government.