The Government will bring forward legislation to allow small and medium-sized businesses to reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) paid for staff sickness absence due to coronavirus. This refund will cover up to 2 weeks’ SSP per eligible employee who has been off work because of coronavirus.

You will be eligible if:

1. Your business is UK based, and;

2. Your business is a small or medium sized and employs fewer than 250 employees as of 28 February 2020.

A rebate scheme is being developed, further details will be provided in due course.

The Government will work with employers over the coming months to set up the repayment mechanism for employers as soon as possible. Existing systems are not designed to facilitate employer refunds for SSP.

If you are self-employed and want to know if you are eligible for Universal Credit, please visit the gov.uk Universal Credit page.