One of my wages clients pay sick pay at the employees normal rate for upto 10 days in a year. For the first time ever an employee has exceeded that, will they now go to SSP and would the starting date be the last of the 10 days paid? For example, they have taken the whole of August so far and the end of July, so if 31st July was the last of the 10 sick days paid by the employer would the first waiting day for SSP be the first of August?
I hope that is clear enough and I haven't over complicated it.
As far as I know the first sick day is the day that the waiting days start, SSP is payable regardless of whether or not the firm has their own sick pay rules. A while ago I worked for a company that paid 6 months full sick pay and 6 months half pay, they would wait until the second six months to pay SSP to help the employee but we were told we were unable to do that and had to pay for the first six months regardless.
Hi thank-you both, but am I reading it wrong or does that mean that the waiting day should start on the first day of sick even though it is paid by the employer? So not the 1st of August, the ten days before? And if that is the case, the SSP could be included in what is paid and doesn't have to be paid on top, so therefore when the 10 days paid by the employer is up, they will move onto full SSP without having to do the three waiting days as they will have already been accounted for?
That's correct Nicola. If the employer chooses to pay additional on top, that's at their discretion, but the employee will have already had the 3 day waiting period in July.
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John
Any advice given is for general guidance and professional advice should be sought applicable to your circumstances.
