SSP Calculator
Use this SSP calculator to work out Statutory Sick Pay under the April 2026 rules. Enter the employee's average weekly earnings and the qualifying days they normally work, and the calculator shows the weekly rate, the daily rate and the total payable from the first full day of sickness.
The employee's normal weekly pay before tax.
The days the employee normally works each week.
Count only the days the employee would normally have worked.
Your result
£147.90
Total Statutory Sick Pay for this spell
- Weekly SSP amount:
- £123.25 — the flat statutory rate, because 80% of average weekly earnings (£400.00) is higher.
- Daily rate:
- £24.65 — the weekly amount divided by 5 qualifying days.
- Days payable:
- 6 of 6 absent qualifying days, paid from the first full day of sickness (no waiting days).
- 28-week entitlement:
- 140 qualifying days in total.
SSP is paid by the employer through the normal payroll. Employers cannot reclaim SSP from HMRC.
Opens your browser's print view with a clean summary of this calculation — choose “Save as PDF” there to keep a copy.
What to do next
Fit notes and self-certification
For the first 7 days of sickness, an employee can self-certify — they simply tell the employer they are too sick to work, and no evidence is needed. For sickness lasting longer than 7 days (counting non-working days), the employer can ask for a fit note from a doctor or other healthcare professional. This is general guidance only, not legal advice.
The SSP1 form
When an employee's SSP is coming to an end — or they do not qualify for SSP at all — the employer must give them form SSP1. The employee uses the SSP1 to claim other support, such as Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), so it should be handed over in good time before the SSP runs out, not after.
Keep SSP records
Keep a record of every sickness spell — the dates, the qualifying days paid and the SSP amounts — with your payroll records, and hold them for at least three years. HMRC can ask to see them, and the records are what prove the 28-week entitlement has been tracked correctly across linked spells.
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How is Statutory Sick Pay calculated?
The weekly amount is the lower of two figures: the flat statutory rate of £123.25 a week, or 80% of the employee's average weekly earnings. That weekly amount is then divided by the number of qualifying days in the employee's normal week to give a daily rate, and the daily rate is paid for each qualifying day the employee is absent. Nothing is held back at the start — payment runs from the first full day of sickness.
When does SSP start, and how long can it be paid for?
SSP starts on the first full day of sickness and can be paid for up to 28 weeks in one period of incapacity for work. If an employee returns to work and goes off sick again within eight weeks, the two spells are linked: they count as one period, and the 28-week limit covers both spells together. Once the 28 weeks are used up, no further SSP is payable until a new, unlinked period begins.
What are qualifying days?
Qualifying days are the days of the week the employee normally works — for a standard Monday-to-Friday pattern, that is five qualifying days. SSP is only ever paid for qualifying days: a weekend day in the middle of a sickness spell does not count for a Monday-to-Friday employee, because it is not a day they would normally have worked.
Can employers reclaim SSP from HMRC?
Employers cannot reclaim SSP from HMRC.
Statutory Sick Pay is paid by the employer through the normal payroll, in the same way as ordinary wages, and the full cost sits with the employer. There is no scheme that pays any of it back, so the figures from this calculator are the amounts the employer both pays the employee and bears as a cost.
Statutory rates used by this calculator
| Rate | Amount |
|---|---|
| SSP flat weekly rate | £123.25 per week |
| SSP alternative weekly amount | 80% of average weekly earnings |
| SSP maximum entitlement | 28 weeks |
| Statutory Maternity Pay (flat weekly rate) | £194.32 per week |
| Redundancy pay — weekly pay cap | £751.00 |
| Redundancy pay — maximum total | £22,530.00 |
| Employment Allowance | £10,500.00 per year |
Rates: April 2026 rules — verified against GOV.UK. Last verified: 7 November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Do waiting days still apply to SSP?
No. Under the April 2026 rules, Statutory Sick Pay is payable from the first full day of sickness. The old system of three unpaid waiting days no longer applies.
Is there a lower earnings limit for SSP?
No. The April 2026 rules removed the lower earnings limit for Statutory Sick Pay, so an employee does not have to earn a minimum amount before SSP can be paid. The amount is still capped at the lower of £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings.
How much SSP will I get per week?
The weekly amount is whichever is lower: the flat rate of £123.25, or 80% of your average weekly earnings. If you earn £500 a week, 80% is £400, so you get the flat rate of £123.25. If you earn £100 a week, 80% is £80, so you get £80.
What if I am off sick again soon after returning to work?
Sickness spells separated by eight weeks or less are called linked periods. They are treated as one period, and the 28-week maximum applies across all of them together — which is why the calculator asks about linked previous sickness.
Can my employer claim SSP back from HMRC?
No. Employers cannot reclaim SSP from HMRC. Statutory Sick Pay is a cost the employer must meet in full; there is no rebate or recovery scheme for it.
Guides and answers about SSP
What is Statutory Sick Pay?
What SSP is, who pays it, who qualifies and how long it lasts — the plain-English starting point for UK sick pay.
Read the guide →How much is Statutory Sick Pay?
The weekly and daily amounts worked out: the £123.25 cap, the 80%-of-earnings rule, and what different workers actually receive.
Read the guide →SSP Rate
The current SSP rate, why your pay might be less than the headline figure, and when the rate changes.
Read the guide →How much is SSP per week?
Weekly SSP at different pay levels — a table of earnings and the weekly amount each one produces, for full-time and part-time workers.
Read the guide →How is SSP calculated?
The three-step calculation — weekly amount, daily rate, days payable — walked through step by step with worked examples.
Read the guide →Related calculators
Annual Leave Calculator
Holiday entitlement keeps building up while an employee is off sick — work out the statutory annual leave in days and hours: 5.6 weeks a year, part-time pro-rata, part-year starters and the 12.07% accrual for irregular hours.
Open the calculator →Pro Rata Salary Calculator
Part-time pay from the full-time salary, by hours or days per week: pro-rata annual, monthly and weekly pay, and the FTE fraction.
Open the calculator →