WILL IT WORK OUT
Your rights to sick pay if you have to self-isolate due to coronavirus
WORKERS have been advised to self-isolate if they've come into contact with someone infected with coronavirus, fallen ill with symptoms of it, or travelled to an affected area.
But many will be worrying what taking the time off work means for their paycheck.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news and updates
1
Your rights on whether you get paid for sick leave or not depends on the contract of your employment.
Here, we explain what happens if you have to take time off work to self-isolate due to coronavirus.
What happens if I have to take time off work?
If you think you may have come into contact with someone who's been infected by the virus then you should tell your employer straight away.
You will also need to tell them if you have travelled to the UK from Italy, Iran, Hubei province of China, Italy, or the Daegu, Cheongdo or Gyeongsan zones of South Korea.
It's also worth mentioning if you've been to Spanish cities such as Madrid and La Rioja or the municipalities of La Bastida, Vitoria and Miranda de Ebro, after the UK government warned against travelling there earlier this month.
Boris Johnson said Brits who qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) and who self-isolate over coronavirus fears will get sick pay from day one rather than the usual day four.
During the Budget, chancellor Rishi Sunak also said employees will no longer have to provide a sick note if they're off work due to coronavirus.
Instead, the government and NHS said workers will be able to use the 111 call service to get a notification that can be used as evidence of being unfit to work.
This will come into effect in the coming weeks and we're still waiting for more details about how this might work.
Your employer can choose to pay you your full salary while you're off sick but the statutory minimum entitlement is currently £94.25 per week.
People who are not entitled to sick leave include members of the armed forces, those who have received Employment and Support Allowance in the past three months, people in prison or those who have already received SSP for 28 weeks.
Meanwhile, businesses with fewer than 250 employees will also be able to claim back the cost of providing statutory sick pay due to staff being affected by coronavirus from the government.
The costs will be met by the government in full for up to 14 days per employee.
What if I'm on a zero-hour contract?
Workers on zero-hour contracts, casual and agency workers are entitled to SSP too.
They will also need to have earned on average of at least £118 a week before tax over the past eight weeks.
People on these contracts will also qualify for the measures announced by the Prime Minister - although you will only be paid SSP for the days that you were due to work.
Employers may refuse you sick pay if you're on a zero-hour contract but only if you don't meet the above criteria.
Citizens Advice recommends asking for an explanation if they refuse.
If you're not happy with their reasons why then you should contact your for help.
The chancellor did not address coronavirus for zero hours contract workers in his Budget.
Boris Johnson reveals army is on standby to help tackle Coronavirus as PM lays out battle plan to kill off deadly bug
What are employers saying?
Not all employers have reacted the same to the possibility of staff having to take extended time off work due to the virus.
Many are monitoring the situation and may change their policies in future, but here's what they're saying so far:
- Greggs boss Roger Whiteside told the that the high street baker would continue to pay staff who have had to self-isolate. It has told workers to stay at home if they've been in contact with an infected person.
- Wetherspoons told employees they would be subject to normal SSP rules if they have to self-isolate.
- Iceland, which employs 15,800 workers, told The Sun that SSP apply for staff who have to self-isolate.
- INEOS chemical company employs 18,500 staff, who have been told that normal rules around sick pay apply is they have to self-isolate.
- Specsavers' employees are entitled to statutory sick pay if they exceed their entitlement outlined in their contracts.
- New Look, which employs more than 15,000 staff, would not disclose its policy on staff pay if they have to self-isolate.
- Deliveroo, which employs around 15,000 delivery riders, has said it will pay any of its riders diagnosed with COVID-19 coronavirus "in excess of the equivalent of UK statutory sick pay".
We've asked some of the other largest employers in the UK where they stand on this point.
While we wait to hear back from them, it's worth checking with your employer to see how their staff policy will affect you.
What do I do if my employer won't pay sick pay?
Unfortunately, debt charity Citizens Advice warns employers do try to exploit confusion about workers’ rights to wriggle out of paying.
It says they use tactics such as changing rotas to make it look like workers are not supposed to be in on the day they call in sick.
If you think your boss is refusing to pay you what you think you are owed, tell them they must fill in a government sick pay form explaining their reasons and handed it back to you.
Once they have done that you need to , which will decide if you are entitled to sick pay or not.
If your boss till won’t cough up, contact ACAS which will negotiate with them on your behalf.
What about if you're self-employed?
While many staff will be entitled to sick pay during this time, 1.5million self-employed workers will suffer loss of income.
Those who need to take time off can get help with their income loss with contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
But there is currently a week-long delay before getting the payment, which could discourage those on low incomes from taking time off work despite needing to self-isolate due to the illness.
The changes outlined in the Budget would see this payment made on the same day that they submit an application for it.
Jeremy Corbyn wrote to the prime minister on Saturday, urging him to take more action to help the most financially vulnerable.
He said self-employed people should also benefit from full sick pay and lost earnings protection from day one of self-isolation.
But the government is yet to announce any special measures for self-employed people.
What about if you're on Universal Credit?
During the Budget, the chancellor announced the Universal Credit Minimum Income Floor (MIF) has been removed to help self-employed workers who will lose income if they have to self-isolate.
Universal Credit is calculated for self-employed workers whose business has been running for more than 12 months by predicting what they may earn. This is known as the MIF.
It's worked out by multiplying the national minimum wage with the number of hours you agreed to work.
If you fail to earn the MIF your welfare payments won't be topped up, meaning you may have to work more to increase your income.
Removing it will take the pressure of those who feel they have to work through the sickness in order to be able to pay the bills.
If you need any help claiming, you can contact
My children's school is closed because of coronavirus - will I still get paid?
Some schools in the UK have shut as a precautionary measure to stop the spread of the deadly virus.
Meanwhile Ireland has announced it is locking down schools and offices in a bid to get rid of the virus.
In this case, parents are entitled to take time off work to look after their children without facing disciplinary action or losing their job.
This is known as "dependent leave" which allows the parent time off to deal with an unexpected problem or emergency.
Most read in money
The downside is that you won't be paid for the time off, unless your employer specifically says that you will.
You may be able to negotiate taking holiday with your employer if you'd still like to get paid and are entitled to paid holiday but this will be at their discretion.
But crucially, you don’t have to make the missed time up later on.
Topics