Chapter 2
Self-certification
[ch 2: page 33]During the first seven calendar days of sickness, the employee will have to notify the employer of absence in accordance with its policy, underpinned by SSP rules. SSP is not initially payable until workers have been off for four days or more in a row.
Employers are likely to have their own format for self-certification but there is a model form available from the government website: gov.uk. Some employers may request medical evidence about the absence even at this early stage. But government SSP guidance for employers says: “If your organisation requires medical evidence for the first seven days of sickness absence, it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for this.”