Sickness

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A member of staff has to have a contract, and to be working under that contract
They need to be off work sick for at least one full working day
No minimum level of earnings to be eligible for SSP from April 2026
Need to provide evidence of their sickness if they’re off work for more than 7 days
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): employer guide: Overview – GOV.UK

The Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rate for 2026/27 is £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings – whichever is lower.
Calculate your employee’s statutory sick pay – GOV.UK
SSP is paid for the days an employee normally works – called ‘qualifying days’
SSP is payable for up to 28 weeks
Tax and national insurance deductions on SSP are processed the same way as normal wages

If a member of staff has regular periods of sickness, they may count as ‘linked’. To be linked, the periods must:-Last more than one full working day-be 8 weeks or less apart
They’ll no longer be eligible for SSP if they have a continuous series of linked periods that lasts more than 3 years

An individual must provide a fit note (or a sick note) if they’re off sick for more than 7 days in a row
An individual can get a fit note from their doctor, or a hospital doctor
If the employer agrees, a similar document can be provided by a physiotherapist, podiatrist or occupational therapist instead. This is called an Allied Health Professional (AHP) Health and Work Report

The member of staff may be able to apply for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
The employer must provide the member of staff with an SSP1 form – this will support the application for the above: Form SSP1
SSP1 form must be issued either:-within 7 days of the first day off sick-within 7 days of their SSP ending, if it ends unexpectedly whilst they’re still sick-on or before the beginning of the 23rd week, if their SSP is expected to end before their sickness does

Statutory holiday entitlement is built up (accrued) while an employee is off work sick
Term time only workers – holiday pay remains
Any statutory holiday entitlement that is not used because of illness can be carried over into the next leave year
An employee can ask to take their paid holiday for the time they’re off work sick. They might do this if they do not qualify for SSP
A long-term sick employee is still entitled to annual leave.

Extended sick pay is when your employer offers more than minimum which is Statutory Sick Pay. You do not have to do this, only SSP is mandatory.
For example; within the contract it could state that you have 20 days’ full pay, then 20 days’ half pay before receiving SSP only
Cylch is responsible for keeping a record of the sick days

Eligibility Criteria remains the same with every job
Employer’s responsibility to process the sickness leave for their role only
As stated in Linked Periods of Sickness section, if the employee is not eligible for SSP within any of the jobs, a SSP1 form is sent from the employer and the employee could be eligible for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)