Statutory sick pay (SSP) calculator

For 2026 to 2027 the weekly rate of Statutory Sick Pay is £123.25 or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Since 6 April 2026 (Employment Rights Act 2025, sections 10 and 11), SSP is paid from the first full working day of sickness instead of after 3 waiting days, and there is no lower earnings limit, so an employee who earns too little to have qualified before now gets SSP at the earnings-linked rate.

SSP is paid only for qualifying days: the days the employee normally works. The daily rate is the weekly rate divided by the number of qualifying days in the week. It is paid for up to 28 weeks in one period of sickness, and periods 8 weeks or less apart link and count as one.

This calculator assumes the same qualifying days every week, one period of sickness, and that the period starts at the beginning of a week. It pays the weekly rate for each full week and the daily rate for any part week, rounding part-week amounts up to the next penny.

Worked example. An employee earns £120.00 a week on average and works 5 days a week. 80% of their earnings is £96.00 a week, which is less than £123.25, so their SSP is £96.00 a week, or £19.20 a day. Off sick for 7 qualifying days, they get £134.40 in total.