We are now officially in the ‘living with COVID-19’ stage of the pandemic, which means there will be many changes to government schemes. One, in particular, relates to the COVID-19 related statutory sick pay (SSP) rebate scheme, which will end on the 17th of March 2022.
What Changes Will Be Made To SSP?
On the 21st of December 2021, the scheme reopened for employers with less than 250 employees. This meant that employers could claim up to 14 days of the SSP paid to unwell or isolating employees due to COVID-19. It also allowed SSP to be paid from the first day of sick leave rather than the usual fourth day.
Due to the new updates, all claims for refunds of SSP must be submitted to HMRC by the 24th of March 2022. This deadline also applies to those amending any previous SSP refund claims.
As the SSP has to be paid to the employee before it can be reclaimed, this does prove to be an incredibly tight deadline; however, our team are on hand to help with this. It is important also to note that from the 25th of March 2022, SSP will go back to being payable from the fourth day of absence, even if it is due to COVID-19.