Can an Employer Refuse to pay Statutory Sick Pay if the Employee has not Complied with the Notification Requirements?

If an employee is unwell and unable to work, provided that they meet certain qualifying conditions, they are entitled to receive Statutory Sick Pay (‘SSP’). If these qualifying conditions are not met, or if an employer has good reason to believe that an employee is abusing the sickness procedure, then it can generally withhold SSP from the employee.

One of the qualifying conditions is notifying the employer of incapacity to work due to sickness within a prescribed time frame. If an employee has not been notified in advance of any time limits to adhere to through, for example, a company’s sickness and absence policy, then the default time limit is set as no later than seven days after the