Part Time Workers part time workers statutory sick pay: Eligibility & Rules

Let's clear this up right away: yes, part-time workers are absolutely eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) in the UK, as long as they meet a few specific conditions. It’s a common myth that SSP is reserved for full-time staff, but eligibility actually hangs on what an employee earns, not the number of hours they put in.

Do Part Time Workers Qualify for Statutory Sick Pay

The question of whether part time workers get statutory sick pay is one we hear all the time from HR managers and small business owners. The simple answer is a firm yes. The government’s rules are designed to protect employees regardless of their working pattern, focusing on their employment status and earnings instead.

Think of SSP eligibility not as a gatekeeper for different contract types, but as a straightforward financial checkpoint. If a part-time employee's earnings cross a certain threshold, they unlock the very same SSP rights as their full-time colleagues. This creates a level playing field and stops people from being penalised just for working fewer hours.

For you as an employer, this means your process for managing sick pay has to be consistent for everyone. You can't have one set of rules for full-timers and another for your part-time team. A clear, well-documented absence policy isn't just good practice—it's essential for staying compliant and being fair.

Key Takeaway: The foundation of SSP eligibility isn't about the quantity of hours an employee works. It's all about the quality of their earnings. If they meet the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL), they're in the system.

The Core Eligibility Checklist

So, how do you know if your part-time employee qualifies? They just need to tick a few boxes. Think of it as a simple checklist to run through before processing any payments.

A part-time worker must:

• Be classed as an employee and have done some work for you.
• Have been ill for at least 4 days in a row (including non-working days). This is officially called a 'period of incapacity for work'.
• Earn an average of at least £123 per week (this is the LEL for the 2024/25 tax year).
• Give you the correct notice and proof of illness when you require it.

To help break this down, here’s a quick summary of the key conditions.

SSP Eligibility Checklist for Part Time Workers

Eligibility Criterion	What This Means for Part Time Staff	Essential Checkpoint
Employee Status	They must be on your payroll as an employee. Freelancers and contractors don't qualify.	Check their contract and PAYE status.
Minimum Sickness Period	Their illness must last for at least 4 consecutive days, including weekends or days they don't normally work.	Count the total number of consecutive days of sickness, not just their scheduled workdays.
Earnings Threshold	Their average weekly earnings must be at or above the £123 LEL (2024/25).	Calculate their average pay over the relevant 8-week period before their sickness began.
Proper Notification	They need to follow your company’s procedure for reporting sickness.	Ensure your sick leave policy is clear and they have followed it correctly.

This checklist should make it simple to confirm SSP eligibility for any part-time member of your team.

Getting these fundamentals right is the first step to managing part time workers statutory sick pay correctly. While the UK's SSP framework provides a vital safety net, it's interesting to see how other places handle temporary illness. For instance, Canadian readers might want to look into the qualifications for their own forms of short-term disability benefits, which address similar situations.

Ultimately, having a solid process for tracking earnings and absences is vital. It ensures every team member gets what they're rightfully owed, which helps build trust and keeps you on the right side of the law.

Decoding SSP Eligibility for Your Part-Time Staff

Right, so we've established that part-time staff are indeed eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). The real challenge, though, lies in navigating the specific rules that often trip employers up. Getting these details right is absolutely vital for keeping your payroll compliant and fair, especially when you're managing casual or zero-hours contracts.

At the core of it all is one critical concept: the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL). Think of the LEL as the minimum earning requirement an employee has to meet to unlock their SSP entitlement. If a part-timer's average earnings hit this benchmark, they qualify – it doesn’t matter how many or how few hours they actually work.

The Earnings Threshold: What Really Matters

The LEL is the government-set minimum an employee must earn, on average, to be eligible for SSP. For the 2024/25 tax year, that figure is £123 per week. This single number creates a clear, consistent line in the sand for everyone, which helps prevent arguments based on someone's specific working pattern.

But this earnings threshold can be a significant hurdle. It's estimated that two million employees in the UK don't qualify for SSP simply because their earnings are too low. Of those, around 1.3 million low-paid workers miss out on any mandatory sick pay at all. This issue hits part-time workers the hardest, as they are far more likely to be in lower-paid roles that struggle to meet that weekly average. For a deeper dive into the UK's sick leave framework, the compliance checklist on Kelio.co.uk is a great resource.

This focus on earnings means you have to calculate an employee's average weekly pay over a set timeframe – usually the eight weeks leading up to their first day of sickness – to see if they make the cut.

Understanding the Sickness Period

For an employee to even begin to qualify for SSP, their sickness needs to last for at least four days in a row. This is what HMRC calls a Period of Incapacity for Work (PIW).

A PIW is simply a block of four or more consecutive sick days. Crucially, this includes days the employee wouldn't normally work, like weekends or their scheduled days off. So, if someone is sick from a Friday through to a Monday, that counts as a four-day PIW.

However, SSP isn't paid for the first three of these days. These are known as 'waiting days'.

Key Concept: Waiting Days SSP payments don't kick in until the fourth 'qualifying day' of sickness. The first three are unpaid 'waiting days'. A 'qualifying day' is just any day your employee would normally have been expected to work.

Let’s take a practical example. Imagine a part-time employee works Monday to Wednesday and falls ill on a Monday, remaining off for the entire week. Their waiting days would be Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. In this case, no SSP would be due for that particular absence.

How Linked Periods of Sickness Work

Sometimes, an employee might have separate but recurring bouts of sickness. The SSP rules have a clever way of handling this called 'linking'.

Two periods of sickness (PIWs) are considered 'linked' if they are separated by 56 days (8 weeks) or less. When this happens, the employee doesn't have to go through another three waiting days for the second illness.

Let's break it down:

1. First Sickness: Your employee is sick for five days in June. They serve their three waiting days, and you pay them SSP for the final two qualifying days.
2. Second Sickness: The same person falls ill again four weeks later, in July, for another five days.
3. The Result: Because the second illness started within eight weeks of the first, the two PIWs are linked. The employee skips the waiting days this time around. You would start paying SSP from their very first qualifying day of this new sickness spell.

This rule is a safety net for employees with recurring or long-term health issues, making sure they aren't repeatedly penalised by losing the first few days of pay for related absences. It also highlights why keeping meticulous absence records is so important – it’s the only way to manage linked periods correctly.

Calculating SSP for Part-Time and Variable Hours

Let's be honest, calculating Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) can feel like a headache, especially when you're dealing with part-time staff or people whose hours change from week to week. It's an area where mistakes can easily creep in, but once you get your head around the core concept, it’s much simpler than it looks.

The absolute key to getting it right is correctly working out an employee's Average Weekly Earnings (AWE).

Think of AWE as a simple snapshot of what that person typically earns. It isn't about their contracted hours; it’s about what they actually pocketed over a specific time. This figure is the gatekeeper—it decides whether they meet the Lower Earnings Limit (LEL) of £123 per week and qualify for SSP. If their AWE dips below that magic number, they simply aren't eligible.

The calculation is always based on the eight weeks of earnings leading up to their sick leave. This isn't an arbitrary period; it's set by law to ensure that a single bumper week or a particularly quiet one doesn't throw the whole thing off. It gives you a fair and balanced picture of their normal pay.

Before you even start crunching the numbers, there are three basic hurdles an employee must clear.

As you can see, it all starts with that earnings threshold. Only after that do the period of sickness and the waiting days come into play.

Determining the Relevant Pay Period

First things first, you need to pinpoint the correct eight-week window. This is officially known as the 'relevant period'.

The relevant period always ends on the last normal payday before the employee’s first full day of sickness. From that date, you simply work backwards to find the payday that was at least eight weeks earlier. Every bit of gross pay between those two dates is what you'll use for your AWE calculation.

Let's imagine an employee’s first sick day is Wednesday, 10th July, and they get paid every Friday.

1. End Date: Their last payday before getting sick was Friday, 5th July.
2. Start Date: Counting back eight weeks from 5th July takes you to Friday, 10th May.
3. Calculation Window: You will add up all earnings paid out between 11th May and 5th July.

Following this process ensures the calculation is always based on recent, representative earnings, keeping it fair for everyone.

Calculating Average Weekly Earnings

Once you have the total gross earnings from that eight-week relevant period, the AWE calculation itself is a piece of cake:

• Step 1: Add up all gross earnings paid during the relevant period.
• Step 2: Divide this total by eight (for the eight weeks).
• Step 3: The result is the employee's AWE.

If that number is £123 or more, they're eligible for SSP. It really is that straightforward. This method works across the board, whether you're dealing with part-time staff, variable hours, or even some zero-hours contracts. Juggling these kinds of schedules can be tricky, and understanding concepts like annualised hours for UK businesses can offer more insight into managing non-standard work patterns.

Let's walk through a few real-world examples to see it in action.

SSP Calculation Examples for Different Work Patterns

To bring this to life, the table below shows how the AWE calculation plays out for different types of part-time workers. For these examples, we'll use the current standard SSP rate of £116.75 per week (the 2024/25 rate).

Worker Scenario	8-Week Earnings Example	AWE Calculation	Weekly SSP Payable
Fixed Part-Time (2 days/week)	Works every Tuesday & Wednesday. Total earnings over 8 weeks = £1,280	£1,280 ÷ 8 weeks = £160	Yes, £116.75. Their AWE is above the £123 LEL.
Variable Hours Worker	Works different shifts each week. Total earnings over 8 weeks = £1,040	£1,040 ÷ 8 weeks = £130	Yes, £116.75. Their AWE is above the £123 LEL.
Zero-Hours Contract Worker	Worked several shifts in the period. Total earnings over 8 weeks = £800	£800 ÷ 8 weeks = £100	No. Their AWE is below the £123 LEL, so they do not qualify for SSP.

As the examples show, the type of contract doesn't matter one bit. It’s the AWE figure, and only the AWE figure, that determines eligibility.

Calculating the Daily SSP Rate

Once you've confirmed an employee is eligible, you need to pay them for their 'qualifying days' of sickness. A qualifying day is simply any day they would normally be expected to work. Remember, payment only starts after the first three 'waiting days' have passed.

To figure out the daily rate, you just divide the weekly SSP rate by the number of qualifying days in that week.

Daily Rate Formula: Weekly SSP Rate (£116.75) ÷ Number of Qualifying Days in the Week = Daily SSP Rate

For instance:

• An employee works 5 days a week: £116.75 ÷ 5 = £23.35 per day.
• An employee works 3 days a week: £116.75 ÷ 3 = £38.92 per day.
• An employee works 1 day a week: £116.75 ÷ 1 = £116.75 per day.

You then pay this daily amount for each qualifying day they are off sick, starting from the fourth day. Getting this calculation right is crucial for keeping your payroll accurate and your business compliant, saving you from potential disputes and penalties down the line.

Navigating Payroll and SSP Record Keeping Requirements

Figuring out the right amount of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is a huge first step, but honestly, it’s only half the battle. The real challenge often lies in the day-to-day admin and keeping flawless records, especially when you’re dealing with part time workers statutory sick pay. If you get this bit wrong, you’re looking at payroll blunders, unhappy employees, and potentially some unwanted attention from HMRC.

Think of your records as the official story of an employee's sickness absence. They need to be crystal clear, spot-on accurate, and totally complete. This creates a full audit trail that justifies every penny paid out or withheld. This isn't just about ticking boxes; it's about protecting your business and making sure everything is fair and above board.

HMRC has strict rules about the records you need to keep for SSP. Dropping the ball here can lead to penalties, so having a solid system in place is non-negotiable.

Your Essential SSP Record Keeping Checklist

To stay on the right side of the law, your records need to capture a few key details for every single period of sickness. It’s a legal requirement to hang onto these records for at least three years after the end of the tax year they relate to.

Here’s what you absolutely must have on file:

• Sickness Dates: The start and end dates of every employee's period of incapacity for work (PIW).
• Waiting Days: A clear note of the three waiting days that were served before any SSP payments kicked in.
• SSP Payments: A log of all SSP payments made, showing the dates and amounts for each pay period.
• Reasons for Non-Payment: If an employee wasn't eligible for SSP, you must record exactly why. This could be because their average earnings fell below the Lower Earnings Limit or they’d used up their 28-week entitlement.
• Linked PIWs: Any sickness periods that are linked, because this directly impacts how the waiting days rule is applied.

You can try to keep these records on a spreadsheet, but it's a high-wire act. One broken formula or a single missed entry can quickly snowball into a massive payroll headache, causing endless admin and potential legal trouble.

Automating Compliance with Absence Management Software

This is where technology really steps up to make a difference. Instead of battling with spreadsheets and paper forms, a modern absence management system like Leavetrack automates the whole thing. It transforms a manual, error-prone task into a simple, reliable workflow.

These systems are built from the ground up to handle the fiddly details of absence tracking. They give you one central, secure hub for all absence data – from the first notification text to the final fit note and return-to-work date. A well-communicated and robust approach is key, and our guide on crafting an effective absence and sickness policy for your UK workplace can walk you through it.

Here’s a quick look at how a clean, visual system can take the guesswork out of managing absence.

A central dashboard gives you an at-a-glance view of who’s off and why, which is absolutely vital for planning resources and keeping the business running smoothly.

The right software doesn’t just hold information; it actively helps you stay compliant. By automatically tracking sickness dates, calculating eligibility, and flagging linked periods, it slashes the risk of human error. This creates a clear, undeniable audit trail you can count on if HMRC ever decides to take a closer look. For any HR manager or business owner, that means less time spent on admin and priceless peace of mind.

The Real Impact of Sickness Absence on Your Business

Getting your head around the rules for Statutory Sick Pay is one thing, but connecting those calculations to the day-to-day reality of running your business is where it really counts. Unplanned absences, especially from your part-time team, have a real, tangible effect on everything from getting the work done to keeping team morale high. Managing part time workers statutory sick pay isn't just a box-ticking exercise; it's a vital part of keeping your workplace resilient and productive.

When a team member is off sick unexpectedly, the knock-on effects can be huge. Schedules are thrown into chaos, projects can grind to a halt, and it's often the rest of the team who have to pick up the slack. This can quickly lead to overburdened employees, rising stress levels, and even a dip in the quality of service you provide to your customers.

Why Part-Time Absence Rates Matter

It's an interesting quirk in the data, but sickness rates often differ quite a bit between working patterns. In the UK, part-time workers frequently have higher rates of sickness absence than their full-time colleagues. In fact, recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the sickness absence rate for part-time workers was 2.6%, compared to just 1.9% for full-time staff. You can read more about UK sickness absence trends on ONS.gov.uk.

This isn't a reflection on part-timers themselves, but it does highlight a key operational challenge for employers. A higher frequency of short-term absences can throw a real spanner in the works when it comes to resource planning, which makes having a clear management strategy absolutely essential.

A clear view of who is off and when is the foundation of effective resource management. Without it, managers are left scrambling to cover shifts, which can lead to unfair workloads and burnout among the rest of the team.

This is where smart absence management becomes about so much more than just logging sick days. It’s about getting the visibility you need to make good decisions on the fly. Having a central overview of all absences—the kind a system like Leavetrack provides—lets managers see staffing gaps as they happen. This puts them back in control, allowing them to plan cover effectively, spread the workload fairly, and keep things running smoothly. You can dig into the numbers by reading our detailed guide on how much absenteeism costs employers.

Beyond the immediate financial hit, it pays to think about how your approach to sick pay and absence affects staff well-being and loyalty. Getting this right is a key part of good employee retention strategies. Ultimately, a well-managed system supports your entire workforce, builds resilience, and shows you're committed to treating every team member fairly, no matter how many hours they work.

The Financial Reality of Living on Statutory Sick Pay

It’s easy to get lost in the calculations and compliance checklists, but we need to talk about what receiving Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) actually means for your employees. The financial impact can be massive, especially for part-time workers who often have lower or more unpredictable incomes.

Let's be blunt: SSP is a basic safety net. It was never designed to replace a regular wage.

The current rate puts a huge strain on households. At £116.75 per week, the UK's statutory sick pay is one of the lowest in the developed world. For someone working full-time, that can work out to as little as £3 an hour – a shocking figure that creates real hardship.

Worse still, research from the Safe Sick Pay campaign found that 47% of UK businesses don't offer any pay above this statutory minimum. That means almost half of all sick workers are stuck with this amount. You can read more about these findings on worker sickness in The Independent.

This financial pressure leads directly to a damaging workplace phenomenon: presenteeism.

The Problem of Presenteeism

Presenteeism is when people show up for work while they're ill because they simply can't afford to take the time off. Faced with a choice between losing a huge chunk of their income or dragging themselves to work, many will choose the latter. This is particularly true for part-time staff, where every single hour of pay is crucial.

This decision has serious knock-on effects for your business:

• Productivity Plummets: An unwell employee isn't working at their best. Their focus is shot, the quality of their work drops, and everything takes longer.
• Illness Spreads: One sick person can easily infect their colleagues, risking a much wider outbreak of absence across the entire team.
• Recovery Takes Longer: Pushing through an illness instead of resting properly can turn a minor bug into a more serious, long-term problem.

Presenteeism is a false economy. You might have someone physically at their desk, but the cost to team morale, overall productivity, and collective health is far greater than paying for a few sick days.

Why a Supportive Sick Pay Policy Is a Smart Investment

This is exactly why so many forward-thinking businesses see a good contractual (or occupational) sick pay scheme as a strategic investment, not just another expense. Offering a policy that tops up or fully replaces an employee's wage for a set period does more than just help them financially.

A strong sick pay policy is a clear signal to your workforce that you value their wellbeing. It fosters a culture where people feel secure enough to prioritise their health, leading to a healthier, more engaged, and more loyal team.

By providing real financial security, you encourage people to take the recovery time they genuinely need. This reduces presenteeism, protects the rest of the team, and ensures that when your staff return, they are fully fit and ready to contribute.

Ultimately, a supportive approach to part time workers statutory sick pay and contractual schemes builds a more resilient and positive workplace. It's a powerful statement about your company culture and a commitment to employee welfare that pays for itself in retention and productivity.

Common Questions About Sick Pay

When you're dealing with part time workers statutory sick pay, a few specific, tricky questions tend to pop up again and again. Let's tackle some of the most common queries to give you the confidence to manage SSP correctly, no matter the situation.

What Happens If a Part-Time Worker Has More Than One Job?

It's pretty common for part-time staff to hold down more than one job. If an employee works for you and another company, their eligibility for SSP is looked at separately for each role. This means they could potentially claim SSP from both employers if they meet the criteria for each job.

What does that mean for you? You only need to worry about the work they do and the money they earn from your business.

You'll calculate their Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) based solely on the pay you provide. If their AWE with you is £123 or more (the Lower Earnings Limit), and they tick all the other boxes, you have to pay them SSP. What they earn somewhere else has absolutely no bearing on your legal obligation.

Can We Reclaim SSP Costs from HMRC?

This is a frequent point of confusion, but the answer is now a straightforward no. Businesses can no longer reclaim SSP costs from HMRC.

There was a temporary scheme during the COVID-19 pandemic that allowed smaller employers to get some SSP costs back. That scheme, however, ended on 30 September 2021, with the online claims portal closing for good on 31 December 2021. Today, the full cost of paying SSP to eligible employees falls squarely on the employer.

What Sickness Evidence Can I Ask For?

For any period of sickness, you're perfectly entitled to ask for evidence that an employee is unable to work. The type of evidence you can request really depends on how long they've been off.

• Seven days or less: For short absences, an employee can 'self-certify'. This just means they give you a written statement explaining their illness without needing a doctor’s note. You can create your own company form for this, or just use HMRC’s form SC2.
• More than seven days: For absences that stretch beyond a week, you can require a 'fit note' (officially called a Statement of Fitness for Work). This must come from a registered healthcare professional, like a GP or a physiotherapist.

The most important thing is to outline these requirements clearly in your company's sickness and absence policy. That way, everyone knows exactly what's expected of them from day one.

Are Zero-Hours Contract Workers Entitled to SSP?

Yes, they absolutely are. Workers on zero-hours contracts are entitled to SSP as long as they meet the exact same eligibility criteria as any other employee. This includes having employee status, earning above the LEL, and being off sick for at least four days in a row. Their contract type doesn't disqualify them.

The main challenge here is figuring out their Average Weekly Earnings, as their pay can fluctuate quite a bit. You simply follow the standard eight-week reference period to work out their average pay. If it hits the threshold, they qualify for SSP just like anyone else.

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Trying to manage all these nuances with spreadsheets and memory is a drain on time and a magnet for mistakes. Leavetrack gives you a simple, automated system to track absences, store fit notes, and keep a clear audit trail. It ensures you handle every case correctly and consistently.

Ready to simplify your absence management? Book a demo of Leavetrack today.