The Chancellor announced last night that he is reintroducing the SSP reimbursement scheme for SMEs who have employees off sick with Covid.
The full details of the scheme are yet to be announced, however the government updated has updated its guidance on gov.uk with the message: “This scheme will be reintroduced from mid-January 2022. Further guidance will be available as soon as possible.”
However, it appears that The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme means businesses with fewer than 250 employees will be reimbursed SSP for Covid-related absences, for up to two weeks per employee.
Making a claim
Employers will be eligible to make a claim for SSP from now and can make claims retrospectively from mid-January.
When the scheme was in place previously (before it finished on 30th September 2021), it allowed reimbursement for employees to be paid for the first three “waiting days” which would normally be unpaid.
However, this only applies if the employee is off for four days or more. It is understood that if an employee has previously been off with a Covid-related absence, employers can claim again if the employee is sick again for up to two weeks. It is only applicable for absences from now onwards – but the claiming mechanism will not be in place until mid-January.
This announcement follows the emergency legislation that came into effect last week, which means that employers cannot ask for proof of sickness until the employee has been off work for 28 days or more.
Further information
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