Latest | COVID-19 sick pay scheme opens for employer claims

As of today, small businesses and employers across the nation who have paid employees statutory sick pay (SSP) for cases of coronavirus will be able to claim back the money, the Government has confirmed.

Coined the ‘Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme,’ the announcement comes as part of the package for businesses set out by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in March this year, and is available for all those who suffered financial losses due to the illness, as of this morning.

The HMRC-run scheme allows small-and-medium-sized employers, with fewer than 250 members of staff, to apply to recover the costs of paying coronavirus-related statutory sick pay for two weeks – worth nearly £200 per employee, according to the Government’s own announcement.

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The current rate of SSP in the UK is £95.85 per week. Employers still have the option of choosing to go further and pay more than the statutory minimum – this is known as occupational or contractual sick pay. However, when employers choose to do so, it’s worth noting that this extra amount will not be redeemable through the SSP rebate.