Statutory Sick Pay 2026-27: £123.25 a week from the first full day
At the full rate, 28 weeks of Statutory Sick Pay adds up to £3,451, a sum worked out here rather than stated by GOV.UK; employees paid 80% of their earnings would receive less.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is £123.25 a week in 2026-27, paid from the first full day off sick, GOV.UK says.
The first-day rule is new. The government’s business site says SSP “only started on your fourth day off sick” before 6 April 2026, and that employees are now paid “from your first full day of sickness absence”.
An earnings test has gone as well. Until that date, “you only got Statutory Sick Pay if you earned at least £125 per week”, the site says; now every eligible employee can receive it “regardless of how much they earn”, across the whole of the United Kingdom.
Employees whose sickness began before 6 April but who did not receive SSP “may be entitled from the 6 April”, the site adds, though it lists cases in which they are not.
How much will I get?
The £123.25 is a ceiling, not a guarantee. GOV.UK sets the payment at that figure or “80% of your normal weekly earnings”, whichever is lower, using average earnings over an 8-week period. On those numbers, anyone averaging about £154 a week or more is paid the flat rate.
GOV.UK’s worked examples for employers show both sides of that line. Average weekly earnings of £185 mean the full flat rate. At £145, the payment falls to £116.
| what | rule |
|---|---|
| weekly rate | £123.25, or 80% of earnings if that is lower |
| starts | first full day off sick |
| longest period | up to 28 weeks |
When is it paid, and for how long?
The employer pays SSP “in the same way as your normal wages, for example weekly or monthly”, so it arrives on the usual payday with tax and National Insurance deducted. It runs for “up to 28 weeks”.
The payment covers “all the full days you’re off sick that you normally would have worked”. In a five-day working week, GOV.UK’s guidance for employers works out the daily rate at £24.65.
Who qualifies?
An employee must have been ill for “at least one full working day” and must usually tell the employer before the deadline it sets, or within 7 days if it has set none. GOV.UK’s guide for employees names two exceptions: anyone who has already received the maximum 28 weeks and anyone getting Statutory Maternity Pay. The employer guide lists further exceptions.
Employees who do not qualify, or whose SSP has ended, “may be able to apply for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)”. An employer must send form SSP1 within 7 days of the first day off sick if the employee does not qualify, according to the employer guide.
Can an employer pay more?
Yes. An employer cannot offer less than SSP but can offer more through a company sick pay scheme.