SSP calculator: Statutory Sick Pay for 2026/27
Use our free SSP calculator to estimate how much Statutory Sick Pay an employee could receive in 2026/27, including their weekly and daily rate.
- Uses the 2026/27 rate of £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings
- Includes SSP from the first qualifying day
- Compare SSP with your company sick pay scheme
Calculate SSP for an employee
Add a few details about the absence and the estimate will update as you go. This calculator follows the rules for sickness starting on or after 6 April 2026.
Choose the first full day the employee was unable to work.
Choose the last day of this sickness absence.
This is usually worked out using the 8 weeks before the sickness started.
Linked absence
Was the employee off sick at any point in the previous 8 weeks?
Company sick pay
Turn this on to compare SSP with your company sick pay scheme.
Estimate
- Weekly SSP rate
- £123.25
- Rate basis
- Flat rate (£123.25)
- Daily SSP rate
- £24.65
- Qualifying days in period
- 5
- Payable qualifying days
- 5
- SSP total
- £123.25
- Weeks used this absence
- 1
- Weeks left of 28-week entitlement
- 27
This calculator gives you an estimate. Check the final amount through your payroll process and the latest GOV.UK Statutory Sick Pay guidance before making a payment. GOV.UK SSP guidance.
SSP rate 2026/27: how much is SSP per day?
For 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, the standard SSP rate is £123.25 a week. Employees receive this or 80% of their average weekly earnings, whichever is lower.
To work out the daily rate, divide the weekly amount by the number of qualifying days in the week. These are the days the employee would normally work.
| Qualifying days per week | Daily SSP rate |
|---|---|
| 1 | £123.25 |
| 2 | £61.625 |
| 3 | £41.0833 |
| 4 | £30.8125 |
| 5 | £24.65 |
| 6 | £20.5417 |
| 7 | £17.6071 |
Daily rates are shown to up to four decimal places. Work out the amount for the payable days before rounding the payment up to the next penny. If 80% of average weekly earnings is lower than the standard weekly rate, use that lower amount instead.
Source: GOV.UK SSP rates for 2026/27.
How Statutory Sick Pay is worked out
SSP is the minimum amount an employer must pay an eligible employee while they are off sick. The rules changed on 6 April 2026, so here are the main things to know.
Pay starts on the first qualifying day
SSP starts on the first full day the employee would normally have worked. There are no unpaid waiting days.
The weekly rate depends on earnings
For 2026/27, the weekly rate is the lower of £123.25 or 80% of the employee's average weekly earnings. There is no minimum earnings threshold.
SSP is only paid for usual working days
These are known as qualifying days. The weekly rate is divided by the number of qualifying days in the week to work out the daily rate.
SSP can be paid for up to 28 weeks
Sickness absences that are 8 weeks or less apart are usually linked. Linked absences share the same SSP allowance.
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Common questions about Statutory Sick Pay
Straightforward answers about SSP rates, working days and using the calculator.
SSP stands for Statutory Sick Pay. It is the minimum sick pay employers must pay eligible employees who are too ill to work. It is paid for qualifying days, which are the days the employee would normally work.
The amount depends on the employee's average weekly earnings and how many qualifying days they are off sick. For 2026/27, use the lower of £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, then divide by their qualifying days per week to find the daily rate.
SSP is up to £123.25 per week in 2026/27. If 80% of the employee's average weekly earnings is less than this, they receive that lower amount. For example, average weekly earnings of £100 give a weekly SSP rate of £80.
From 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027, weekly SSP is the lower of £123.25 or 80% of the employee's average weekly earnings.
Yes. Eligible employees can receive SSP from the first full day they would normally have worked. The previous three unpaid waiting days no longer apply.
No. The lower earnings limit has been removed. If 80% of an employee's average weekly earnings is less than the flat weekly rate, they will receive the lower amount.
Qualifying days are the days an employee would normally work. SSP is only paid for those days during a sickness absence.
An eligible employee can receive SSP for up to 28 weeks. Sickness absences that are 8 weeks or less apart are usually linked and count towards the same allowance.
A company sick pay scheme can pay more than SSP, but the employee must still receive at least the statutory minimum. Some schemes provide full or half pay for a set period before moving to SSP only.
The calculator follows current GOV.UK rates and rules for straightforward sickness absences. If the employee has irregular pay, overlapping leave or an absence that started before 6 April 2026, check the figures with your payroll provider or HMRC guidance.
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