How to use the Statutory Sick Pay calculator
- Enter your pay before tax and choose whether it is per year, per month or per week. The calculator turns it into your average weekly earnings (AWE). If you know your AWE for the 8 weeks before you fell ill, pick Week and type it in.
- Choose your working days a week. These are your qualifying days, normally the days your contract says you work.
- Enter the number of working days off sick. Only count the days you would have worked.
- If your employer pays sick pay of its own, open Company sick pay and enter the weeks at full pay and at half pay, and whether that pay includes SSP or comes on top of it.
- Read your total, the weekly and daily rate, and the week-by-week table. Copy results puts a short summary on your clipboard.
How Statutory Sick Pay works from April 2026
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the legal minimum your employer must pay when you are too ill to work. The Employment Rights Act 2025 changed it from 6 April 2026, and this calculator uses the new rules for the 2026/27 tax year:
- Paid from day one. SSP starts on the first qualifying day you are off sick. The three unpaid "waiting days" have gone. You must be sick for at least one full working day: if you work for a minute or more before going home, that day does not count.
- No earnings limit. You no longer need to earn at least the lower earnings limit to qualify. Every employee who has done some work for their employer can get SSP.
- The weekly amount is £123.25 or 80% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Most full-time employees get the £123.25 flat rate; people on low weekly pay get 80% of what they normally earn.
- Up to 28 weeks. SSP stops after 28 weeks in a period of sickness. Periods of sickness that are 8 weeks or less apart are "linked" and count as one.
The daily rate is the weekly amount divided by your number of qualifying days. With a 5-day week and the full rate, that is £123.25 ÷ 5 = £24.65 a day. For part weeks, HMRC's daily tables round up to the next penny, and the calculator does the same.
What it was like in 2025/26
Before 6 April 2026, SSP was a flat £118.75 a week, the first three qualifying days of a period of sickness were unpaid, and you only qualified if your average weekly earnings were at least £125. The stat Under 2025/26 rules shows what the same absence would have paid under those rules, so you can see the effect of the change.
Worked example
Sam earns £26,000 a year and works Monday to Friday. Their average weekly earnings are £26,000 ÷ 52 = £500. 80% of £500 is £400, which is more than £123.25, so Sam's SSP is the flat £123.25 a week, or £24.65 a day. Sam is off sick for 10 working days, so SSP is 10 × £24.65 = £246.50. Under the old rules, the first 3 days would have been unpaid and the rate was £118.75 a week (£23.75 a day), so Sam would have received 7 × £23.75 = £166.25.
Priya works two days a week and earns £120 a week. 80% of £120 is £96, which is lower than £123.25, so her SSP is £96 a week, or £48 for each day she is off. Off sick for two weeks (4 working days), she gets £192. Under the 2025/26 rules she would have got nothing, because £120 is below the old £125 earnings limit.
Company sick pay
Many employers pay more than SSP for a set time, for example a number of weeks at full pay followed by weeks at half pay. Usually this "occupational" sick pay includes SSP: your employer pays your normal salary and SSP is part of it, so you get whichever is higher. Some schemes pay a top-up on top of SSP instead. Choose the option that matches your contract. When company sick pay runs out you still get SSP until you reach 28 weeks.
Why your payslip may differ
- Average weekly earnings are worked out from your actual pay over the 8 weeks before you fell ill, which may differ from salary ÷ 52 if you had overtime, a bonus or a pay rise.
- Linked periods. If you were off sick in the last 8 weeks, the 28-week limit counts both absences together.
- Tax and National Insurance. SSP is paid through payroll like your wages, so it is taxable. If your income drops, you may pay less tax than usual.
- Transitional cases. People already on SSP before 6 April 2026 may have stayed on the old basis until they returned to work.
- Exceptions. You cannot get SSP while you get Statutory Maternity Pay or after 28 weeks; GOV.UK lists the other exceptions.
Related calculators: see your normal take-home pay with the UK salary calculator, work out pay for part-time hours with the pro rata calculator, plan time off for a baby with the maternity pay calculator, or browse all salary and money calculators.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Statutory Sick Pay in 2026/27?
From 6 April 2026, SSP is £123.25 a week or 80% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. With a five-day working week, the full rate is £24.65 a day. It is paid for up to 28 weeks.
Is SSP paid from the first day of sickness now?
Yes. Since 6 April 2026 there are no waiting days, so SSP is paid from your first full working day off sick. Before that date, the first three qualifying days were unpaid.
Do I need to earn a minimum amount to get SSP?
Not any more. The lower earnings limit for SSP was removed in April 2026. Instead, people on low pay get 80% of their average weekly earnings if that is less than the flat weekly rate.
How is the daily rate of SSP worked out?
Divide your weekly SSP by the number of days you normally work in a week. For £123.25 and a five-day week that is £24.65 a day; for a three-day week it is £123.25 ÷ 3, which HMRC's tables round up to £41.09 for a single day.
Is Statutory Sick Pay taxed?
Yes. SSP counts as earnings and is paid through payroll, so income tax and National Insurance are deducted if your total pay is above the thresholds.
Can I get company sick pay and SSP at the same time?
Usually company sick pay includes SSP, so you receive the higher of the two rather than both. Some employers pay their sick pay on top of SSP. Your contract or staff handbook says which applies.
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