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Sick pay, visits and safe cover

A care worker has called in sick. What will it cost—and what needs attention?

Calculate SSP and company sick pay, cost the replacement rota, flag operational risk and produce a practical manager action list.

No employee names or medical details are needed. This is an employer planning aid, not legal, payroll or clinical advice.

Start from scratch, or load a worked example

Examples populate the calculator with editable fictional data.

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Absence details

When was the worker absent, and which days would they normally work?

How does this worker’s schedule operate?

Contracted working days

These days determine which full sick days are payable and the SSP daily rate.

How it differs

More than an SSP lookup

The GOV.UK tool helps calculate statutory entitlement. Workmax connects that payroll result to the visits that need reassignment, the replacement-staff cost and the evidence a care manager should retain.

Need an annual workforce estimate instead?

Use the existing SSP cost calculator to model annual absence frequency across a team, role or pay band.

Estimate annual SSP impact →

Continue the absence workflow

Managing sickness absence, SSP and safe staffing →Should a care agency enhance sick pay? →What is a qualifying day? →Care payroll guide →

Checked against official guidance

Official source basis

The statutory calculation uses the 2026/27 SSP rules and includes dated transitional and linked-period handling. Confirm unusual cases with HMRC guidance or your payroll adviser.

Effective period: 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027

Last reviewed:

Run Payroll, HR and Care Operations in One Place
Workmax connects payroll, holidays, timesheets, scheduling, HR and expenses. Care providers can add visit verification, care tasks and care records when they need them.
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