Sick leave by country / United Kingdom
Sick leave and sick pay in United Kingdom
Who pays when someone is ill, how much, for how long, and what the certificate rules are — in plain English, whether you run a team in United Kingdom or work on one.
In the UK, employers must pay Statutory Sick Pay for up to 28 weeks of sickness. Since 6 April 2026 it is payable from the first day of absence with no earnings threshold, at the weekly flat rate set each April or 80% of the employee's normal weekly earnings if that is lower. Employees self-certify for seven days and need a fit note from day eight.
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How it works
Statutory Sick Pay is a floor paid by the employer, not by the state. The Employment Rights Act 2025 removed the three unpaid waiting days and the lower earnings limit from 6 April 2026, so every employee with a contract qualifies from day one. The amount is the lower of the flat weekly rate — uprated every April and published on GOV.UK — and 80% of average weekly earnings, which stops low earners receiving more sick pay than pay. SSP runs for up to 28 weeks in any period of incapacity; linked spells separated by less than eight weeks count as one period. Most employers pay more under a contractual (occupational) sick pay scheme; the contract must say so.
Worth knowing: Before April 2026, employees earning under the lower earnings limit got nothing and everyone lost the first three days; both rules are gone. The flat rate still changes each April — check the current figure on GOV.UK rather than in an old handbook.
If you run a team in United Kingdom
Pay SSP through payroll on the normal pay day, with tax and National Insurance. Keep a record of sickness absences and SSP paid — HMRC can ask for it. You may set your own notification rule (by 10 a.m. on the first day, for example) but cannot demand a fit note before day eight, or refuse SSP because the employee did not phone at a particular time, as long as they told you within seven days. Issue form SSP1 when SSP ends or the employee does not qualify, so they can claim benefits.
If you work in United Kingdom
Tell your employer you are sick as soon as you can, and within seven days. You can self-certify for the first seven calendar days; after that you need a fit note from a GP, hospital doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist or occupational therapist. Check your contract for occupational sick pay — many employers pay full salary for a period before dropping to SSP.
Sickness and annual leave
Statutory holiday keeps accruing during sick leave, and an employee who falls ill during annual leave can ask to convert those days to sick leave and take the holiday later. Leave that could not be taken because of sickness carries forward for up to 18 months.
The annual leave entitlement itself is covered on our United Kingdom annual leave page — 28 working days minimum.
Keeping the record straight
Sick pay rules turn on dates: the day the illness started, the day the certificate was due, the day the employer's obligation ends and the benefit takes over. In United Kingdom those dates decide who pays and how much, and they have to be provable months later — to a payroll auditor, an insurer, or the employee. A shared spreadsheet rarely survives that; a tracker like Leavo records each absence with its dates and approvals alongside annual leave, so the record exists before anyone asks for it. We compare the options in our leave management software guide, and the policy side — carryover, payout, accrual — in our guides.
Sick leave in United Kingdom: common questions
Can an employer refuse SSP if the employee did not provide a fit note on day one?
No. Fit notes can only be required from the eighth day of sickness; the first seven days are self-certified. An employer can ask for reasonable notification but cannot withhold SSP for a late fit note in the first week.
Is SSP paid to part-time and zero-hours workers?
Yes. Since 6 April 2026 the lower earnings limit no longer applies, so anyone with an employment contract who is sick on a day they would normally work qualifies, at 80% of their average weekly earnings if that is below the flat rate.
What happens after 28 weeks?
SSP stops. The employer gives the employee form SSP1 so they can claim Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit. Contractual sick pay may continue if the contract provides for it.
What happens if I fall ill during my annual leave in United Kingdom?
Statutory holiday keeps accruing during sick leave, and an employee who falls ill during annual leave can ask to convert those days to sick leave and take the holiday later. Leave that could not be taken because of sickness carries forward for up to 18 months.
Source
Primary source: Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992, Part XI; SSP Regulations, as amended by the Employment Rights Act 2025. Rates and caps change — often every January or April — and collective agreements frequently improve on the statutory scheme. Confirm against the current text before acting. See our methodology.