NHS sick pay calculator
NHS sick pay is a ladder: the longer you have worked in the NHS, the longer you stay on full pay. This works out where you are on it, how much you have left, and what each stage pays.
Your pay and time off
Before tax. For changing hours, use your average over the last 8 weeks.
You get the standard rate of £123.25 a week, paid from your first day off sick.
NHS sick pay counts full pay as your normal basic pay, so enter an average if you usually get extras such as unsocial hours, and check your trust policy for what it includes. Months are turned into days at 52/12 weeks a month. Your trust may also treat some absences, such as pregnancy-related sickness, separately.
Sick pay is taxed through payroll like normal pay. You need a fit note from a doctor if you’re off for more than 7 days in a row.
The ladder, by years in the NHS
Under Agenda for Change, section 14 of the handbook, you get full pay for a set period and then half pay for a set period. Both grow with your service. This sits on top of Statutory Sick Pay, so you are not choosing between the two. The scheme pays as one thing and the SSP is counted inside it.
| Your service | Full pay | Then half pay |
|---|---|---|
| First year of service | 1 month | 2 months |
| Second year | 2 months | 2 months |
| Third year | 4 months | 4 months |
| Fourth and fifth years | 5 months | 5 months |
| More than five years | 6 months | 6 months |
It is a rolling 12 months, not a fresh start each year
Your entitlement is not reset on 1 April. Your trust looks back over the 12 months before the first day of each new absence and takes off what you have already been paid. Someone with five years behind them has six months of full pay available in principle, but if they were off for three months in the spring, they would start a new absence in the autumn with less left. That is why the calculator asks how many sick days you have already used.
If you cross into a higher band while you are off, the better entitlement is generally not applied until you are back at work. Moving from year two to year three mid-absence does not raise your pay on the spot.
A worked example
A band 5 nurse on £34,592 earns £665 a week. She is in her third year, which gives four months of full pay and four months of half pay. Off for 20 weeks in one go, she is on full pay for the first 17.3 weeks and half pay for the remaining 2.7. She is paid about £12,418 against £13,305 had she worked, so the sickness costs her roughly £887. The same absence in her first year would have left her on SSP for most of it, which is a very different figure.
What counts as full pay
Full pay is your normal basic pay. If you work nights and weekends, the extras you would have earned are not always included, and trusts differ on how they treat them. Check your local sickness policy, and if you want a rougher worst case, enter your basic pay only. Some absences, such as pregnancy-related sickness, are recorded separately and should not use up your entitlement.
When it runs out
Once full and half pay are used, you drop to Statutory Sick Pay for as long as it lasts, which is up to 28 weeks in total. Use the sick pay calculator to see what that is worth on your own pay. If your sickness is caused by an injury at work, other rules may apply, so speak to your employer.
Common questions
How much sick pay do NHS staff get?
It depends on service. In the first year it is one month full pay and two months half pay. After five years it is six months full pay and six months half pay.
Is NHS sick pay counted over a rolling 12 months?
Yes. Your trust looks back over the previous 12 months and deducts what you have already been paid from your current entitlement.
Do I get NHS sick pay from day one?
The scheme applies from the start of employment, with entitlement based on your service. Some trusts have local rules about when it begins for new starters, so check your sickness policy.
Does NHS sick pay include Statutory Sick Pay?
Yes. Your employer counts SSP as part of the sick pay you are paid, so the two do not stack.
What happens when my NHS sick pay runs out?
You fall back to Statutory Sick Pay, which is paid for up to 28 weeks in total, and may be able to claim other benefits afterwards.
Does service at another trust count?
Reckonable NHS service generally counts, though breaks between jobs can affect it. Ask HR to confirm your service date.