Mirandus Accountants is an expert accounting and chartered tax advisory practice based in London and Edinburgh. We specialise in meeting the needs of private clients and their businesses.
COVID-19
Businesses: Do you employ staff?
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Who can access it
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will now be available for eligible individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 or those self-isolating and unable to work. This is in addition to the previously announced change that SSP will be payable from day one instead of day four.
How much can I claim?
This refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of COVID-19.
Who is eligible?
Employers with fewer than 250 employees will be eligible. The size of an employer will be determined by the number of people they employed as of 28 February 2020.
Employers will be able to reclaim expenditure for any employee who has claimed SSP (according to the new eligibility criteria) as a result of COVID-19.
Employers should maintain records of staff absences and payments of SSP, but employees will not need to provide a GP fit note (see below)
Eligible period for the scheme will commence the day after the regulations on the extension of Statutory Sick Pay to those staying at home comes into force.
Sick notes from 111
People advised to self-isolate will be able to get a virtual Statement of Fitness to Work by contacting NHS 111, rather than visiting a doctor. This can be used by employees where their employers require evidence. This is only needed from Day 8 of self-isolation.
Mirandus Recommendation
The government has already confirmed that it could take some time to reimburse employers with SSP measures to pay staff as they need to create a practical mechanism to log and reimburse employers. It is therefore important to follow guidelines above so as not to delay payments more than they need to be.
Please have a look at the following pages to find exactly what you are looking for: