Coronavirus: SSP rebate scheme now open

Back in March, the government announced that small employers would be able to recover some of their SSP costs linked to staff absence due to coronavirus.

07.04.2026

The rebate system is now live and can be accessed here. 

To submit your claim, you will need:

  • the number of employees you are claiming for
  • start and end dates of your claim period
  • the total amount of coronavirus-related Statutory Sick Pay you have paid to your employees for the claim period - this should not exceed the weekly rate of SSP that is set 
  • your Government Gateway user ID and password that you got when you registered for PAYE Online 
  • your employer PAYE reference number
  • the contact name and phone number of someone HMRC can contact 
  • your UK bank or building society account details 

Records

You must keep records for three years after the date you receive payment of your claim, including: the dates the employee was off sick, the reasons for their sickness, information of their qualifying dates and their NI number. 

Payment

Once the claim has been checked, it will be paid within six working days.

Eligibility

You can use the scheme if you're claiming for an employee who is off work due to coronavirus, you have a PAYE payroll scheme that was created and started on or before 28 February and you had fewer than 250 employees on that date.

Our Coronavirus updates

We're working hard to keep you up to date with legal developments around Coronavirus. We've set up a portal which includes lots of helpful articles and advice to help you.

If you have a query, that we haven't answered, please contact us. 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-back-statutory-sick-pay-paid-to-your-employees-due-to-coronavirus-covid-19#what-youll-need

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