How much Statutory Sick Pay you get
From 6 April 2026, SSP is £123.25 a week or 80% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Your employer works out your average weekly earnings over an 8-week period. SSP is paid only for your qualifying days — the days you normally work — and it is paid in the same way as your wages, with tax and National Insurance deducted.
The rate, in one line
Weekly SSP = the lower of £123.25 and 80% of your average weekly earnings. If you earn about £154.06 a week or more, 80% of your earnings reaches the cap, so you get the full £123.25. Below that, you get 80% of your earnings.
The daily-rate table (full flat rate)
Because people work different patterns, the weekly rate is divided by the number of qualifying days in your week to give a daily rate. The table below shows the daily rate when the full £123.25 applies. Your employer's payroll calculation, or the GOV.UK SSP calculator, gives the exact pence for your pattern; the figures here are rounded to the nearest penny.
| Qualifying days in your week | Daily rate at the full rate | What a full week pays |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £123.25 | £123.25 |
| 2 | £61.63 | £123.25 |
| 3 | £41.08 | £123.25 |
| 4 | £30.81 | £123.25 |
| 5 | £24.65 | £123.25 |
| 6 | £20.54 | £123.25 |
| 7 | £17.61 | £123.25 |
If the 80% rule applies instead, the same division applies to your lower weekly amount. For example, at £80 a week (80% of £100 average weekly earnings), a 5-day worker gets £16.00 a day, and a 3-day worker gets £26.67 a day.
Worked examples
Aisha, a care assistant in Bristol, earns £200 a week and works 5 days. 80% of £200 is £160, which is above the cap, so she gets the full £123.25 a week — £24.65 per qualifying day. A two-week absence covering 10 qualifying days pays £246.50 before tax and National Insurance. Tom, a bar worker in Glasgow on a 3-day pattern, earns £90 a week. 80% of £90 is £72 a week, so he gets £72, not £123.25 — £24.00 per qualifying day. Priya, a teaching assistant in Manchester, earns £150 a week and works 4 days. 80% of £150 is £120, below the cap, so she gets £120 a week — £30.00 per qualifying day. Dan, a delivery driver in Leeds, earns £160 a week. 80% of £160 is £128, above the cap, so he gets the full £123.25.
Superseded rates — do not use these as current
Older pages quote £118.75 a week for 2025/26, £116.75 for 2024/25, and £109.40 for 2023/24. Those were the correct rates in their years and are superseded now; presenting any of them as the current rate would be wrong. The current rate from 6 April 2026 is £123.25 or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Rates are normally uprated each April, so a rate quoted without a year attached should always be checked against GOV.UK.
What SSP is not
SSP is not your normal wage, and it is not topped up by the government to match your wage. If your contract promises company sick pay above SSP, that extra comes from your employer under your contract — see SSP vs company sick pay. SSP is taxable and subject to National Insurance, so the amount that reaches your bank account is less than the gross figure. And SSP is paid per employer: if you hold two jobs, each employer assesses and pays SSP separately, which is covered in how SSP is paid.