Government to help farms with Covid sick pay costs
© Tim Scrivener Farm employers can reclaim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for Covid-related absences, in a new round of a government scheme aimed to help businesses with staff sickness costs.
As part of the government’s £1bn support package for businesses, the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Rebate Scheme for small and medium-sized employers has been reintroduced, at a time when farm staff absences continue due to Covid.
The scheme, which first run in 2020, has been brought back on a temporary basis in response to the current surge in Omicron cases, with claims eligible for absences since 21 December 2021.
See also: Coronavirus advice for managing and keeping staff safe
It aims to help businesses, with fewer than 250 employees as of 30 November 2021, to cover the cost of SSP paid to employees for Covid-related absences.
Businesses can reclaim up to two weeks’ SSP paid to employees at the relevant standard weekly rate of £96.35 for any eligible periods of coronavirus-related sickness from 21 December 2021.
Reclaim SSP weekly rate
Employers who pay more than the weekly rate of SSP are eligible but can only reclaim up to the SSP weekly rate.
Qualifying businesses must be based in the UK and have a PAYE payroll system in place.
No date has been set for this scheme to end – the government says it will keep the duration under review.
Eligible employers can claim the cost of up to two weeks’ SSP for each employee, paid for Covid-19-related sickness absence occurring after 21 December 2021.
This can be done via the HMRC website.
Employers must also keep detailed records of any SSP paid and claimed back for three years.
Businesses can claim regardless of whether they claimed for the same employee under the previous scheme, which closed on 30 September 2021.