Are homeworkers entitled to sick pay?

To be entitled to statutory sick pay (SSP), you must:

• be in work;
• be aged between 16 and 65 when your sickness began;
• be earning enough to pay National Insurance contributions (£102 per week from April 2011). If your pay varies, your entitlement depends on your average pay over the last 8 weeks; and you must be absent from work due to illness for at least 4 consecutive days.

You will not qualify if you are self-employed or have not started work yet.

If you qualify for SSP, it is normally paid in the same way as your wages. It is paid at a flat rate (£81.60 a week from April 2011) and can be paid for up to 28 weeks, if your sickness lasts that long. It is not paid for the first 3 days that you are on sick leave; these are called ‘waiting days’. Employers can ask for reasonable evidence of incapacity.

In practice, this means a self-certification form for the first 7 days of absence (including the first 3 waiting days) and a doctor’s Fit Note certificate after that.