SSP Calculator

Q: What should I enter if the employee is still off sick?

Leave the last day of sick leave box blank. The calculator counts the absence up to today's date and shows an "ongoing absence" notice. Come back and re-run it once they return to work for a final figure.

Q: What happens if the gap between two absences is exactly 56 days?

They link. The rule is 56 days or fewer , so 56 days still counts as linked. At 57 days or more it becomes a fresh Period of Incapacity for Work. Waiting days apply again, and a new 28-week limit starts.

SSP Calculator

Updated Aug 16, 2026 By Jehan Wadia

Introduction

This Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) calculator works out how much sick pay you owe an employee. Enter their pay, their working days, and the dates they were off sick. The tool does the maths and shows you the total.

SSP is only paid on qualifying days, which are the days the employee normally works. Before 6 April 2026, the first 3 qualifying days are waiting days and are not paid. From 6 April 2026, sick pay starts on day one and the Lower Earnings Limit test is gone. If an absence crosses that date, this calculator splits it and uses the right rules for each part.

The calculator also handles:

Linked periods — two absences within 8 weeks count as one, so waiting days are not charged twice.
The 28-week cap — the most SSP one period of sickness can get.
Average weekly earnings (AWE) — from a yearly salary or a weekly figure. If you only know an hourly figure, run it through the Hourly to Salary Calculator first.

You get a clear total, a breakdown by period, a chart, and a step-by-step solution showing every number used. For other kinds of time away from work, see our Leave Calculator, Annual Leave Calculator, and PTO Calculator.

How to use our Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Calculator

Enter a few facts about your employee's pay, work days, and sick dates. The tool shows the total SSP you owe, the weekly and daily rate, payable days, waiting days, and a full step-by-step breakdown.

Do you pay Class 1 National Insurance for this employee? Pick Yes if you pay (or would pay) Class 1 NI for them. Pick No and SSP is not yours to pay. Our PAYE Calculator shows how NI and tax are worked out on a payslip.

Was the employee sick for at least one full qualifying working day? Pick Yes if they missed a whole day they were meant to work. Part days do not count.

Did they tell you in time? Pick Yes if they reported the sickness inside your set time limit, or within 7 days if you have no limit.

How do you want to enter earnings? Choose "Annual salary" or "Weekly (AWE)". The other box fills in on its own.

Annual salary (gross) — Type their yearly pay before tax. The tool splits it by 52 to get weekly earnings. Not sure of the gross figure? Check it with the Salary Calculator or the Gross Pay Calculator.

Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) — Type their gross average pay per week over the 8 weeks before the first sick day. The Weekly Pay Calculator can help you convert other pay frequencies.

Qualifying days per week — Click the number of days each week they are contracted to work. SSP is only paid on these days. Use the Work Hours Calculator if you need to confirm a contracted pattern.

First day of sick leave — Pick the date the absence started. It cannot be in the future.

Last day of sick leave — Pick the date they came back. Leave it blank if they are still off, and the tool counts up to today. To count the span yourself, try the Date Duration Calculator or the Business Days Calculator.

Add another sick leave period — Click this to add more absences, up to 6. The tool checks the gap between them and links absences that are 8 weeks or less apart. If you track repeat absence patterns, the Bradford Factor Calculator scores them.

Press Calculate to see your results, or Reset to start again.

What Is Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)?

Statutory Sick Pay is the money a UK employer must pay a worker who is off sick. It is a legal minimum, not a bonus. Employers pay it straight through payroll, just like normal wages, and tax and National Insurance come out of it — see the Take Home Pay Calculator for what lands in the bank. Some jobs offer extra "company sick pay" on top, but SSP is the floor no employer can go below.

Who Can Get SSP

To get SSP, a worker must:

Have an employer who pays Class 1 National Insurance for them
Be off sick for at least one full working day
Tell the employer in time — within the employer's own deadline, or within 7 days if no deadline is set

Before 6 April 2026, workers also had to earn at least the Lower Earnings Limit of £129 a week on average. From 6 April 2026 that earnings test is gone, so low-paid and part-time staff now qualify too. Part-time holiday entitlement is handled by the Pro Rata Holiday Calculator.

How Much SSP Is Paid

The flat SSP rate is £123.25 a week. From 6 April 2026, the pay is the lower of the flat rate or 80% of the worker's average weekly earnings. So someone who earns £100 a week gets £80 a week, not £123.25.

SSP is only paid for qualifying days — the days the person was meant to work. The weekly rate is split across those days. If someone works 5 days a week, each sick day is worth the weekly rate divided by 5. To see the same split for hourly staff, use the Wage Calculator.

Waiting Days and Day-One Pay

Under the old rules, the first 3 qualifying days of an absence were unpaid. These were called waiting days, and SSP started on day 4. From 6 April 2026, waiting days are scrapped. SSP is paid from the very first qualifying day of sickness. If an absence started before that date and ran past it, the two halves follow different rules. The Days Calculator is handy for checking exactly where a period falls.

Linked Sick Periods

If a worker goes off sick again within 8 weeks (56 days) of a past absence, the two are "linked." They count as one Period of Incapacity for Work. This matters because waiting days are not charged twice on a linked absence — the worker gets paid from day one of the second spell. Use the Weeks Calculator to measure the gap between two absences.

The 28-Week Limit

SSP runs out after 28 weeks in one period of incapacity. Once that cap is hit, the employer stops paying. They should give the worker form SSP1 so they can claim other help, such as Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance. A brand new, unlinked sick period starts a fresh 28 weeks. If the absence ends in a job loss instead, the Redundancy Calculator and Severance Calculator cover what is owed.

Average Weekly Earnings

Average weekly earnings (AWE) are worked out from the gross pay in the 8 weeks before the first sick day. A quick estimate is annual salary divided by 52. AWE decides whether 80% of pay or the flat rate applies. Overtime and bonuses count toward gross pay, so check them with the Overtime Calculator before you enter a figure.

Records and Proof

Employers should keep records of sick dates and SSP paid. A worker can self-certify for the first 7 calendar days. After that, an employer can ask for a fit note from a doctor or other health professional. A Time Card Calculator makes it easier to keep attendance and absence records straight, and the Tenure Calculator tracks length of service alongside them.

Formulas used

Average Weekly Earnings from annual salary

\text{AWE} = \frac{\text{Annual salary}}{52}

Lower Earnings Limit eligibility test (pre-6 April 2026 segments)

\text{Eligible} \iff \text{AWE} \ge \pounds 129.00

Weekly SSP rate from 6 April 2026

R_{\text{post}} = \min\left(\pounds 123.25,\; 0.80 \times \text{AWE}\right)

Daily SSP rate

R_{\text{day}} = \frac{R_{\text{week}}}{Q}, \quad Q = \text{qualifying days per week}

Payable qualifying days in a segment (waiting days then 28-week cap)

D_{\text{pay}} = \min\Big(\max\big(0,\; D_{\text{qual}} - D_{\text{wait}}\big),\; D_{\text{remaining}}\Big)

28-week maximum entitlement (per Period of Incapacity for Work)

D_{\max} = 28 \times Q

SSP for a segment and total SSP payable

\text{SSP}_i = D_{\text{pay},i} \times R_{\text{day},i}, \qquad \text{Total SSP} = \sum_i \text{SSP}_i

Linking rule (periods form one PIW)

\text{Linked} \iff \text{Gap} = \left(\frac{t_{\text{start}} - t_{\text{prev end}}}{86400000}\right) - 1 \le 56 \text{ days}

Frequently asked questions

Why does my result show £0.00 SSP?

There are a few common reasons:

You answered No to one of the three eligibility questions at the top.
The absence is before 6 April 2026 and the earnings are under £129 a week.
The sick period only covers waiting days, so nothing is payable yet.
The 28-week cap has already been used up.

Check the coloured notice boxes in the results. They tell you which rule stopped the payment.

Which days does the calculator treat as qualifying days?

It counts working days starting from Monday. If you pick 5 qualifying days, it uses Monday to Friday. If you pick 3, it uses Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

If your employee works a different pattern, such as Wednesday to Sunday, the total number of qualifying days will usually still be right over a full week. Short absences may need a manual check.

Do I count weekends and bank holidays in the sick period?

Yes. Enter the real first and last day of the absence, weekends included. The tool counts calendar days, then works out how many of those were qualifying working days.

SSP is only paid on qualifying days. Bank holidays count as qualifying days if the employee was meant to work them.

What should I enter if the employee is still off sick?

Leave the last day of sick leave box blank. The calculator counts the absence up to today's date and shows an "ongoing absence" notice.

Come back and re-run it once they return to work for a final figure.

Is SSP taxed?

Yes. SSP goes through payroll like normal wages. Income Tax and National Insurance come out of it, and it counts toward pension contributions too.

The figure this calculator gives you is the gross amount before those deductions.

Can I claim SSP back from HMRC?

No. Employers pay the full cost of SSP. The old Percentage Threshold Scheme that let firms reclaim it ended in 2014.

SSP is a business cost, so you can count it as a normal wage expense for tax purposes.

What is form SSP1 and when do I send it?

Form SSP1 tells an employee why you cannot pay SSP. They use it to claim other help, like Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance.

Send it when:

They do not qualify at all.
Their 28 weeks of SSP are running out (send it by week 23).

What is a Period of Incapacity for Work (PIW)?

A PIW is 4 or more days off sick in a row, including weekends and days off. SSP rules only start once a PIW exists.

Two PIWs that are 8 weeks or less apart link together and count as one. That matters for waiting days and the 28-week cap.

What happens if the gap between two absences is exactly 56 days?

They link. The rule is 56 days or fewer, so 56 days still counts as linked.

At 57 days or more it becomes a fresh Period of Incapacity for Work. Waiting days apply again, and a new 28-week limit starts.

Why does my absence show two rows in the results table?

Your sick period crosses 6 April 2026, the date the SSP rules changed. The calculator splits it in two:

The part before that date uses 3 waiting days and the flat rate.
The part from that date uses day-one pay and the lower of the flat rate or 80% of earnings.

Each row shows its own days and its own SSP total.

Can I pay my employee more than SSP?

Yes. SSP is the legal minimum. Many employers offer company sick pay on top, often full pay for a set number of weeks.

If you do that, the SSP is included in the amount you pay, not added on top of it. This tool only works out the statutory part.

Do part-time and zero-hours workers get SSP?

Yes, if they meet the rules. There is no minimum number of hours.

Before 6 April 2026 they had to earn at least £129 a week on average. From that date the earnings test is gone, so low-paid staff qualify and get 80% of their average weekly earnings.

Does the employee still build up holiday while off sick?

Yes. Paid holiday keeps building up during sick leave, including long absences.

If they cannot take that holiday because they are ill, they can usually carry it into the next leave year.

Can I stop SSP if the employee does not send a fit note?

Employees can self-certify for the first 7 calendar days. After that you can ask for a fit note.

If they refuse without a good reason, you can withhold SSP. Answer No to the notification question in the tool to see the effect.

How many sick leave periods can I add?

Up to 6. Click Add another sick leave period for each extra absence.

Each period must start after the one before it ends. The tool checks the gaps and tells you which ones link.

What if I only know the employee's hourly or monthly pay?

Convert it to a yearly or weekly figure first, then enter that.

For a rough weekly figure: hourly rate × hours per week. For monthly pay: monthly amount × 12 ÷ 52. Use gross pay, before tax.

Does overtime and bonus pay count in average weekly earnings?

Yes. AWE uses all gross earnings in the 8 weeks before the first sick day. That includes overtime, commission and bonuses paid in that window.

If pay varies a lot, add up the real 8 weeks of gross pay, divide by 8, and type that into the AWE box.

Is this an official HMRC calculator?

No. It is a free tool that follows the published SSP rules and rates. Use it for planning and checking figures.

For unusual cases, such as staff who move between jobs mid-absence or go on maternity leave, check the official HMRC guidance.

What happens when the 28 weeks run out?

SSP stops. You cannot pay more for that same period of incapacity, even if the employee stays off sick.

Give them form SSP1 so they can claim other benefits. A completely new, unlinked sick period later on starts a fresh 28 weeks.

Why is my daily rate not a round number?

The daily rate is the weekly rate divided by the number of qualifying days. It often gives an odd figure, like £24.65 for 5 days.

That is correct. HMRC works SSP out this way, and you round the final total, not each day.

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