The Updated Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme

28/02/2022 Update: The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme will close on 17‌‌‌th ‌March‌‌‌ ‌2022 and employers have until 24‌‌‌th March‌‌‌ to submit any new claims for absence periods up to 17‌‌‌th ‌March‌‌‌, or to amend claims you have already submitted. You will no longer be able to claim back Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for any COVID-19 related absences that occur after‌‌‌ ‌17‌‌‌th ‌March‌‌‌.

As of 25th March, there’ll be a return to the normal SSP rules, meaning it will be payable from the fourth qualifying day an employee is off work, regardless of the reason for their sickness absence.

BrightPay users should be aware of this change and select the normal SSP option when recording any sickness related absences from 25th March, regardless of whether or not it is COVID-19 related.

On 21st December 2021, it was announced that the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS) would be reopened in January 2022 for small and medium sized businesses across the UK. The scheme has been reintroduced as support for businesses impacted by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The updated SSPRS allows eligible employers to claim back some of their Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) costs for employees who are eligible for sick pay due to COVID-19. Businesses can also claim back SSP retrospectively for employees for any qualifying days on or after 21st December 2021.

Who can claim

The 30th of November, 2021 is the date used to establish an employer's eligibility for the SSP Rebate Scheme. To qualify to claim back SSP the employer must:

• Have a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 30th November 2021
• Have had fewer than 250 employees on 30th November 2021, across all PAYE payroll schemes

Which employees can you claim for

Employers can claim back SSP for employees who qualify for SSP and who cannot work because they are off sick or self-isolating due to COVID-19 on or after 21st December, 2021 up until 17th March, 2022.

To claim back SSP for an employee they must meet the following criteria:

• The employee must be classed as an employee and have done work for you under their contract
• Must be sick for 4 or more days in a row (including non-working days)
• Must provide you with a “fit note” after 7 days
• Must earn an average of at least £120.00 per week for the 2021/22 tax year

Employees qualify as being off due to COVID-19 if they:

• Have COVID-19
• Have symptoms of COVID-19 and are self-isolating
• Are living with someone with symptoms of COVID-19 and are self-isolating
• Are in a support bubble with someone with symptoms of COVID-19 and are self-isolating
• Have been notified by the NHS that they've come into contact with someone with COVID-19
• Have been notified by the NHS that they need to self-isolate before surgery

How much can be claimed

• Employers can claim back up to 2 weeks SSP for each employee, which is in-line with the recommended 7 to 14 day isolation period.
• The SSP statutory weekly rate for 2021/22 is £96.35
• The maximum number of employees a business can claim for is the number of employees which were registered on the employer’s PAYE scheme on November 30th, 2021.
• SSP is paid only for the days an employee normally works

How to make a claim

• If you haven’t already, you must enroll for PAYE Online.
• Sign into the Gov.UK online service using your Government Gateway user ID and password that you got when you registered for PAYE Online to make your claim.

How your payroll software will cater for the SSPRS

BrightPay Payroll Software has recently upgraded their software to cater for employers making claims for employees who were off work due to COVID-19 on or after 21st December, 2021. Our Coronavirus SSP Rebate Scheme tool has been designed to assist users in ascertaining SSP reclaimable amounts for entry into Gov.UK’s online service for claiming back SSP.

The SSPRS will close on 17‌‌‌th ‌March‌‌‌ ‌2022 and employers have until 24‌‌‌th March‌‌‌ 2022 to submit any new claims for absence periods up to 17‌‌‌th ‌March‌‌‌ ‌2022, or to amend claims you have already submitted. You will no longer be able to claim back Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for any COVID-19 related absences that occur after‌‌‌ ‌17‌‌‌th ‌March‌‌‌.

Find out how to use BrightPay’s Coronavirus SSPRS claim report tool. To learn more about BrightPay, book a free online demo now and see the software in action for yourself.

If you’re looking to switch to BrightPay, we offer dedicated migration specialists to help you through the importing and set-up process. You can book a free migration consultation here.

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Posted byElaine CarrollinCoronavirusSick Leave/Absence Management