Should I get paid when I am off sick?

Yes. But you should check what it says in your contract of employment. There are two types of sick pay:

• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). If you qualify, SSP is currently £81.60 a week. The amount is decided by the government, and is payable subject to certain rules and conditions (see below) for up to 28 weeks. The first three days are unpaid (called 'waiting days'). When your entitlement to SSP runs out, you should apply for Employment and Support Allowance.  Guidance on claiming this benefit can be found by clicking here.
• Occupational Sick Pay. This is an employer's scheme, based on your normal earnings. It must be at least equivalent to SSP and is usually considerably better. Your entitlement depends on the rules drawn up by your employer. Occupational sick pay usually starts after a minimum period of service, eg a minimum of three months' service. Once you qualify, employers usually provide full pay for a set number of weeks, followed by a period of half-pay.

If your employer pays occupational sick pay that exceeds your entitlement to SSP, your employer is entitled to set its own rules about notification of your sickness and absence.  But if the employer pays sick pay at only the rate fixed for SSP, it must operate the rules about notification of absence that are set out in the SSP scheme. Employers can – and often do –operate different schemes for different categories of worker.