Statutory Sick Pay calculator
Work out your Statutory Sick Pay under the 2026 rules. It is paid from your first qualifying day, at the lower of the flat rate or 80% of your average weekly earnings, for up to 28 weeks.
Statutory Sick Pay calculator
Figures from 6 April 2026: £123.25 a week or 80% of earnings, paid from day one, up to 28 weeks · GOV.UK statutory sick pay
How it works
Statutory Sick Pay changed on 6 April 2026. The Employment Rights Act 2025 abolished the three unpaid “waiting days” and the £125 lower earnings limit, so SSP is now payable from your first qualifying sick day and there is no minimum earnings threshold. If you earn anything at all, you qualify.
Your weekly rate is the lower of two figures: the flat rate of £123.25, or 80% of your average weekly earnings. Average weekly earnings are worked out over the eight weeks before you fell ill. If you earn £100 a week you get £80, not £123.25; if you earn £400 a week you get the £123.25 flat rate.
SSP is paid only for your qualifying days, meaning the days you would normally work. The calculator divides your weekly rate across those days, then multiplies by the sick days you enter. It is taxable and paid through payroll like wages.
SSP runs for a maximum of 28 weeks. Periods of sickness more than one working day long and eight weeks or less apart are “linked” and count towards that limit. Your employer’s occupational sick pay scheme, if you have one, cannot pay less than SSP but can pay more.
Full detail in our Statutory Sick Pay guide. The rules and rates: GOV.UK statutory sick pay.