The calculator above works out Statutory Sick Pay for 2026/27, after the reforms that removed waiting days and the lower earnings limit. For a few days off with a cold, that's all most people need. This guide is for longer absences, where the rules on evidence, linked spells and what happens after SSP ends start to matter.
The new rule for lower earners
From April 2026, SSP is paid from the first day of sickness and every employee qualifies, however little they earn. The trade-off is a new cap: you receive the lower of the flat weekly rate of £123.25 or 80% of your normal weekly earnings.
Take Ellie, who works part-time and earns £120 a week. Under the old rules she'd have earned too little to qualify. Now she does, and 80% of her earnings is £96 a week, which is less than the flat rate, so £96 is what she receives. For anyone earning more than about £154 a week, the flat rate is lower and applies instead.
When you need a fit note
For the first seven days you can self-certify, usually by filling in your employer's form. After seven days, your employer can ask for a fit note from a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist or other registered healthcare professional. The fit note may say you're not fit for work, or that you may be fit for work with adjustments, such as reduced hours or different duties. If it suggests adjustments, talk to your employer: if they can't make them, you're treated as not fit for work.
Linked spells
Separate spells of sickness of four or more days in a row can be linked if they're eight weeks or less apart. Linked spells count as one period of incapacity for SSP. That matters because SSP is limited to 28 weeks in a single period. Someone with a recurring condition can reach the limit sooner than they expect, even with gaps of good health in between.
Your employer's sick pay
Many employers pay more than SSP for a set period, often full pay for several weeks and then half pay. Contractual sick pay normally includes SSP rather than adding to it. Check your contract for the length of each stage, because the drop from full pay to half pay, or to SSP alone, can be sudden. The calculator lets you set a weekly figure for contractual pay alongside SSP.
After 28 weeks
When SSP runs out, your employer must give you form SSP1 so you can claim other support. The main options are new-style Employment and Support Allowance, which depends on your National Insurance record, and Universal Credit, which depends on household income and savings. Apply as soon as you get the form, because there can be a gap before payments start.
A long absence also affects your job. Employers can manage long-term sickness through their attendance policy, but they must consider reasonable adjustments if your condition is a disability. A phased return, with reduced hours at first, is common. Ask how you'll be paid during it, because some employers pay full pay and others pay only for hours worked.
Sickness and holiday
You keep building up statutory holiday while you're off sick, even during a long absence. If illness means you can't take your holiday in the year, you can carry the four weeks of core entitlement into later years, generally for up to 18 months after the end of the year it was earned. If you're sick during a booked holiday, you can usually ask to treat those days as sick leave and take the holiday later, provided you follow your employer's sickness reporting rules. Check your employer's policy for how to do this.
Next steps
Enter your earnings and sick days above to see your SSP. The maternity and sick pay calculator models longer absences month by month, and the pro-rata salary calculator shows pay for a phased return on reduced hours.