Sick leave in the UK: your rights, start to finish

Telling your employer you are ill

Your employer can set a deadline for reporting sickness, often in a handbook or absence policy. If it has not set one, the statutory backstop is 7 days. Report late without a good reason and your employer does not have to pay SSP for the days you were late.

The method is more flexible than many people think. An employer can ask you to follow its process, but GOV.UK is clear that it cannot insist you report in person or on a special form.

Evidence: self-certifying, then a note

For the first 7 calendar days, including weekends and bank holidays, you do not need anything from a doctor. When you return, your employer can ask you to confirm you were off sick, which is what self-certification means.

From day 8, your employer can ask for a fit note. It can also agree to accept another appropriate form of evidence instead. The detail, including who can issue a note and how long one can cover, is on our sick note rules page. If you cannot get a GP appointment, a private sick note from a UK doctor is evidence your employer can choose to accept; government guidance says it can, with the employer’s agreement. Benefit claims such as Universal Credit still need an NHS fit note.

Sick pay

Since 6 April 2026, SSP has been paid from your first full day of sickness, and there is no longer a minimum earnings level to qualify. It is paid for the days you normally work, through payroll, with tax and National Insurance taken off. Some employers pay more under a company sick pay scheme, and SSP usually counts towards it. Our statutory sick pay guide has the before and after table and worked examples. SSP is not available on self-employed income; see self-employed sick pay for the alternatives.

While you are off

Your employer is allowed to contact you, and Acas suggests you agree between you how often, by what method and with whom. Our page on contact from work while off sick covers calls, welfare meetings and mental health absence. Statutory holiday keeps building up however long you are off, and you can choose to use paid holiday during sick leave if you want to, though your employer cannot make you. Questions about going out, travelling or booked holidays are covered in what you can do while off sick.

Going back to work

You do not have to wait for a note to run out, and nobody needs to sign you back to work. Acas says there should be a return to work meeting to check you are well enough and have the support you need. If a full return is too much at once, a phased return builds your hours or duties back up gradually, by agreement.

Long absences and dismissal

Being off sick does not stop your employer managing your absence. After more than 4 weeks you may be treated as long-term sick. GOV.UK describes dismissal as a last resort, after the employer has looked at ways to help you return and consulted you. Dismissing someone because of a disability may be unlawful discrimination. Our page on being dismissed while off sick sets out the process and the time limits, and there is a separate page on sickness during probation.

Acas also points out that employers must treat physical and mental health as equally important. Time off for anxiety or depression is sick leave in exactly the same way as time off for a back injury. If you need time away after a death, see our page on time off work after a bereavement.