Statutory Sick Pay Calculator 2025/26

Calculate Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) entitlement for employees. Check eligibility and see exactly how much SSP is payable and for how long.

SSP rate 2025/26: £116.75 per week (£16.68/day). Maximum 28 weeks per episode of sickness.

Are you calculating as an employer or employee?

Employer Employee

Average weekly earnings (£) — gross earnings ÷ 8 weeks if variable

Working days per week

Number of calendar days sick — including weekends and non-working days

SSP already paid in this episode (£) — enter 0 if this is the start

SSP Calculation 2025/26

Eligible for SSP?

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Qualifying days sick

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Waiting days (unpaid)

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SSP payable days

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Total SSP payable—

SSP remaining entitlement

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For guidance only. TheBizHQ.com is a private, independent website — not affiliated with HMRC, Companies House or any UK government body. All figures are estimates based on the information you enter and should not be relied upon for financial, tax or legal decisions. Tax rates are reviewed periodically but may not always reflect the latest HMRC changes. Full disclaimer →

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Statutory Sick Pay 2025/26

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the minimum amount employers must pay employees who are too ill to work. The rate for 2025/26 is £116.75 per week.

Who qualifies for SSP?

To qualify for SSP an employee must:

Be classed as an employee and have done some work for their employer
Have been sick for at least 4 consecutive days (including non-working days)
Earn at least £123 per week on average (the Lower Earnings Limit)
Have told their employer they are sick within the employer's notification deadline (usually within 7 days)

Waiting days

The first 3 qualifying days of sickness are called "waiting days" — SSP is not paid for these days. SSP only starts from the 4th qualifying day of sickness.

Qualifying days

Qualifying days are the days the employee is contracted to work. The SSP daily rate is calculated based on the number of qualifying days in a week.

How long does SSP last?

SSP can be paid for a maximum of 28 weeks in a single episode of sickness. After this, the employee may be entitled to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit.

Linking rules

If an employee is sick again within 8 weeks of a previous sickness episode, the two episodes are "linked" and treated as one. This means the waiting days do not apply to the second episode, but the previous SSP paid counts towards the 28-week maximum.

Employees not eligible for SSP

Employees who are not eligible for SSP may be able to claim New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) from the DWP instead.