Understanding sick pay

Sick pay

A question that often comes up with nannies and small employers is what is their entitlement to sick pay. It is imperative that you follow the terms in your contract. As a nanny it is harder phoning in sick, I understand as we know (having been a nanny) that it causes the problem of the parent(s) reaching work due to our absence.

However, it is not good if you are sick and pass this on so here are some guidelines

(Please do not send them a text, phone them)

This is information has been taken from Citizens advise site and .GOV website

Your employer must tell you what to do when your off-work sick, including:

when to tell them you’re sick
what information to give them about your illness
sick pay you’re entitled to
but you might not get any extra sick pay your contract says what you can get.

If your employer hasn't told you how to get sick pay

If your employer hasn’t told you what to do to get statutory sick pay (SSP), you should:

Tell your employer straight away that you’re sick and can’t work.
Let your employer know what the first day of your illness was, even if it was a non-working day.
Confirm your illness in writing (this is called ‘self-certification’). You'll need to do this within 7 days of telling your employer you’re sick. You can use the Employee’s statement of sickness (SC2) form on GOV.UK to do this. Get a doctor’s note if you’re sick for longer than 7 days, and your employer asks you to get one.
The 7 days includes days you wouldn't normally be working.

You can contact your nearest Citizens Advice for help.

Getting a note from your doctor
If you’re sick for more than 7 days you’ll probably have to get a note from your doctor. You might hear these referred to as ‘fit notes’ (they used to be called ‘sick notes’).
On the note, your doctor will say that you:
>are not fit for work or may be fit for work reasonable adjustments’ to help you return to work.
If you’re not sure if your condition is classed as a disability, it's worth checking. Contact your nearest Citizens Advice if you need help.

If you’re late telling your employer you’re off sick
If you didn’t tell your employer straightaway that you were off sick, it’s up to them to decide if you had a good reason.
If they don’t think you had a good reason, they can refuse to pay you sick pay for the number of days you were late telling them.
If you’re not happy with their decision you can contact HMRC and ask them to reconsider.

How you’re paid sick pay

You’re usually paid statutory and contractual sick pay in the same way as your normal wages - for example, weekly into your bank account. You’ll pay tax and National Insurance on your sick pay.

Returning to work

If you want to return to work early, your employer might ask you to get a note from your doctor confirming you’re fit for work. This will usually be because your employer needs it for their insurance.

Your doctor can recommend that you work less hours or days for a bit, and gradually increase them back to normal - this is called a ‘phased return’. This could affect your pay so you need to discuss it with your employer.

Statutory sick pay

You can get £94.25 per week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you’re too ill to work. It’s paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks.

You need to qualify for SSP and have been off work sick for 4 or more days in a row (including non-working days).

You cannot get less than the statutory amount. You can get more if your company has a sick pay scheme (or ‘occupational scheme’) - check your employment contract.

Note:

Unless it is in your contract for additional sick pay parents do not need to pay any further monies to make up your normal salary it could just be SSP

Please contact either the company that sorts out your wage slips, check .Gov site, HMRC or ACAS for further help and advise.

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