Sick pay
[ch 10: page 82]The contract of employment should set out the payment to be made if a worker is absent due to sickness or injury and the rules that must be followed to claim that payment. The minimum amount is statutory sick pay (SSP) if a worker is away from work unfit for four days or more in a row. However, the contract may include additional pay or benefits.
SSP is paid at a flat weekly rate that is revised each April. The weekly SSP rate from 6 April 2014 is £87.55, for a maximum of 28 weeks. However, to qualify for SSP, a worker must earn an average of £111 a week. SSP is paid in the same way as wages.
Workers with more than one employer are entitled to SSP from each employer, as long as they meet the qualifying conditions, but to qualify, they must earn an average of £111 a week from each employer. In other words, wages from different employers cannot be added together to meet the threshold.
Workers earning less than £111 a week will not qualify for SSP. They may qualify for Employment and Support Allowance.