Where do you stand when it comes to getting or paying Statutory Sick Pay during self-isolation?
The Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Coronavirus Addendum comes into play today and confirms that anyone self-isolating to avoid infection or contamination with the coronavirus counts as a period of sick pay. This means anyone who is eligible to sick pay can claim it during this period.
The standard rate of SSP is £94.25 per week, increasing to £95.85 from April.
Who is entitled to sick pay?
- Be classed as an employee and have done some work for your employer
- Have been ill for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days)
- Earn an average of at least £118 per week (calculated by averaging the last 8 weeks of pay from the last pay-check before the sickness)
- There is no minimum amount of time working for an employer to qualify (average week earnings will be calculated from the time you started)
- Tell your employer you’re sick before their deadline (if written into your contract) – or within 7 days if they do not have one
Who will not qualify?
- Have received the maximum amount of SSP which is 28 days
- Are getting Statutory Maternity Pay
Employees can ‘self-certify’ their absence from work for the first 7 days of absence. From day 7 onwards you/they are traditionally required to provide a note from their GP or consultant however this has been waived for the coronavirus.
Currently SSP is only payable from day 4 however rumour has it that this will soon be changed to be from day one. The recommendation from most employment experts is to exercise discretion and pay SSP from day one.
The government has announced it will support businesses with less than 250 employees by paying SSP for the 14-day self-isolation period. There is currently no mechanism to apply for this money back from the government, we will update as soon as it is released.
If you are not eligible for SSP you may be able to apply for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). You can use form SSP1 to support your application.
This story is correct as of March 16th.
If you have any areas you would like BarLifeUK to look into regarding coronavirus that you don’t see covered in the coronavirus section please email simon@barlifeuk.com and we will try to find an expert to answer them and get back to you.