Statutory Sick Pay and the £129 Lower Earnings Limit: The Gap Explained 2026/27
Why some low-paid or part-time UK workers get no Statutory Sick Pay at all in 2026/27, and what the £129 weekly Lower Earnings Limit actually means in practice.
A cliff edge, not a taper
Unlike many tax and benefit thresholds that taper gradually, Statutory Sick Pay works as a hard cliff edge: average weekly earnings over the eight-week reference period must reach £129 to qualify for any SSP at all. Earn £128.99 a week on average, and the entitlement is nil — not a reduced amount, but zero, regardless of how long the absence lasts or how genuine the illness is.
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Open Take-Home Pay calculatorWho falls into the gap
A worker on the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour (from April 2026) needs to work at least roughly 10.2 hours a week to clear the £129 threshold. Anyone working fewer hours than that on a single job — a common pattern for some part-time retail, hospitality or cleaning roles — will not qualify for SSP from that employer, even if it is their main or only job.
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Open National Insurance calculatorThe multiple small jobs trap
The gap is particularly stark for people juggling two or more small part-time jobs. Because SSP eligibility is assessed per employer based on earnings from that specific job, someone earning £80 a week from one employer and £70 a week from another — a combined £150, comfortably above £129 — typically qualifies for SSP from neither job, since neither individual employment reaches the threshold alone.
Bottom line
The £129 weekly Lower Earnings Limit for Statutory Sick Pay creates a genuine gap for low-hours and multiple-small-job workers, who can be left with no statutory sick pay support at all despite being in genuine employment. Anyone in this position should check eligibility for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance, which are assessed under separate rules and may still provide some support during illness.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Statutory Sick Pay: Employer Guide
- GOV.UK: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
- GOV.UK: Employment and Support Allowance
Frequently asked questions
What is the Statutory Sick Pay Lower Earnings Limit for 2026/27?
£129 a week. To qualify for Statutory Sick Pay, average weekly earnings over the relevant eight-week reference period must be at least this amount — earn less, and no SSP is payable at all, regardless of how ill you are or how long you're off work.
How much is Statutory Sick Pay in 2026/27?
£123.25 a week, payable for up to 28 weeks, to eligible employees who meet the earnings and other qualifying conditions.
Who is most likely to fall below the £129 earnings threshold?
Part-time workers on relatively few hours, workers on the National Living Wage working fewer than roughly 10 hours a week, and people with multiple very small part-time jobs where no single job alone meets the threshold, are most likely to miss out on SSP entirely.
Can earnings from multiple jobs be combined to reach the £129 threshold?
Generally no — SSP eligibility is normally assessed per employer based on earnings from that specific job, so someone with two part-time jobs each paying below £129 a week would typically not qualify for SSP from either employer, even though their combined income is higher.
What can someone do if they don't qualify for SSP?
Workers who do not qualify for SSP because their earnings are below the Lower Earnings Limit may still be able to claim Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their overall circumstances, though these are assessed under entirely different rules than SSP.
Does the £129 threshold rise each year?
Yes — the SSP Lower Earnings Limit is reviewed and typically uprated annually alongside other National Insurance thresholds, so the exact figure should be checked against the confirmed current tax year rate on gov.uk rather than assumed to stay fixed.
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