Earlier in the newsletter we discussed the end of a number of employer support solutions for pay. However, another area removed at the end of the September period is the small employers support and payment of Statutory Sick Pay. Since March 2020, employers with less than 250 staff have been eligible to reclaim up to 2 weeks SSP for employees when the absence has been due to COVID-19. This rebate has been claimable in arrears since the start of the core COVID-19 period and has been another method of reducing costs for small employers as part of the far bigger package of support.
As stated however, the scheme came to an end on the 30th of September and as such all employers will now need to go back to funding all SSP payments in the same way as before the pandemic. There is however an area that is still outstanding and that is the removal of waiting days. These three days would normally need to be served prior to SSP being payable. However, theses were removed for COVID-19 based absence and unlike the rebate, this remains in place with no current end date.
Employers eligible to reclaim SSP have until the 31st of December 2021 to complete all outstanding claims to the scheme.
