Do you get sick pay on a zero-hours contract?
Short answer
Yes. Zero-hours workers qualify for Statutory Sick Pay, and since 6 April 2026 it is a day-one right with no minimum-earnings test — reforms that particularly help variable-hours workers. You get the lower of £123.25 a week or 80% of your average weekly earnings over the eight weeks before you fell ill.
A zero-hours contract does not mean zero rights, and sick pay is a good example. Employees and workers on zero-hours arrangements are within the Statutory Sick Pay scheme — and recent reforms removed the two hurdles that used to exclude many of them.
How SSP works with variable hours
Since 6 April 2026, under the Employment Rights Act 2025:
- SSP is a day-one right — the three unpaid "waiting days" are abolished, so even a single day off sick can attract SSP.
- There is no minimum-earnings test — the Lower Earnings Limit condition was removed, so low-paid and irregular earners now qualify. If you were told before April 2026 that you did not earn enough, check again.
Because your hours vary, your SSP is based on your average weekly earnings over the eight weeks before your sickness began. You are paid the lower of the flat rate — £123.25 a week in 2026/27 — or 80% of those average earnings. It is paid by your employer through payroll, like wages, for up to 28 weeks. Run your numbers through our SSP entitlement calculator.
Tell your employer you are sick by their stated deadline (or within seven days). You can self-certify for the first seven days; after that a fit note may be required. If your employer says you do not qualify, they must give you an SSP1 form within seven days so you can claim benefits instead — and you can report non-payment to HMRC.
Watch for retaliation
Some zero-hours workers fear that taking sick leave means their hours will quietly disappear. Reducing or withdrawing hours to punish you for exercising a legal right — such as taking sick leave or raising a grievance — may be an unlawful detriment, and dismissal for it can be challenged. Your other rights continue too: minimum wage for every hour worked, holiday accruing at 12.07% of hours, and rest breaks. If hours stop after a sick note, get advice from Acas or Citizens Advice, and check your employment status — it determines which claims are open to you.
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