NHS Sick Pay Calculator: Check Your Entitlement

Last updated: 28 September 2026 · Figures verified against the NHS Employers 2026/27 pay circular.

By the NHS Bands Pay editorial team

The calculator

The entitlement table

Section 14 of the Agenda for Change terms sets your entitlement by length of service at the start of the absence:

Note the shape of the table: it is not linear. The biggest jumps are early — moving from the 1–2 year band to the 2–3 year band doubles both full and half pay from 2+2 to 4+4. After 5 years you reach the maximum of 6 months' full pay plus 6 months' half pay: a full year of paid absence, the most generous standard sick-pay scheme in the UK public sector.

The 12-month rule, explained

The entitlement is not per absence — it is reduced by sick pay already taken in the 12 months before the new absence begins:

• A Band 5 nurse with 6 years' service is entitled to 6 + 6. If she had 2 months' full pay in the preceding year, she now has 4 months' full pay remaining (6 − 2), followed by the full 6 months' half pay.
• If she had 7 months' full pay in the preceding year — more than her 6-month entitlement — her full-pay balance is zero, and she moves straight to half pay (reduced by any half pay already used).
• The 12-month window is rolling: it is measured back from the first day of the new absence, not the calendar or leave year.

This is the rule that surprises people most. Two staff with identical service can have very different remaining entitlement if one had a recent long absence. Your trust's ESR record tracks what you have used — ask HR for your current position before planning a long absence.

What "full pay" and "half pay" mean

Full pay means what you would have received had you been at work — normally your basic salary for your contracted hours. During half-pay periods, you receive half of that. A few practical points:

• Overtime is not normally part of sick pay — you are paid for your contracted hours, not the extra shifts you might have worked.
• Unsocial-hours enhancements: treatment varies by trust and circumstance; regular enhancements are generally factored in where they form part of what you would have earned. Ask payroll if shift enhancements make up a large part of your income.
• Pension contributions continue during paid sick leave, based on the pay you actually receive.
• Annual leave continues to accrue during sick leave, and you can take annual leave while on sick leave (it is paid at full pay) — a useful option at the boundary between sick pay bands.

Statutory Sick Pay interplay

NHS occupational sick pay includes Statutory Sick Pay — you do not receive SSP on top of your occupational entitlement. The key protections:

• During half-pay periods, your pay is topped up so that you receive no less than the SSP rate.
• When occupational sick pay is exhausted, SSP alone may continue for up to 28 weeks. Since the April 2026 reforms, SSP is payable from the first day of absence — the old 3 waiting days were abolished — and there is no lower earnings limit, so low-paid and part-time staff qualify too.
• After SSP ends, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) may be available through the benefits system.

Because SSP is a state-set rate, it changes most Aprils — payroll applies the current rate automatically. Deductions are assessed on what you actually receive each pay period, so tax, National Insurance and student loan deductions fall as your pay drops — and the reduced pay lands on the normal NHS pay dates.

Certifying your absence

The certification rules are the same as for the UK workforce generally:

• Days 1–7 (calendar days): self-certification — your trust's absence form is enough.
• Day 8 onwards: a fit note from a GP or other authorised healthcare professional, covering the whole period including retrospectively where needed.
• Report promptly: trusts have local absence-reporting procedures (usually a call to your manager before a set time). Failure to follow the procedure can affect pay, so read your trust's policy.
• Fit notes can say you "may be fit for work" with adjustments — which leads to the return-to-work discussion below.

Long-term sickness: what happens next

When absence stretches beyond weeks into months, several things happen in parallel:

• Occupational health (OH) referral — normally after a few weeks. OH advises on fitness, adjustments and likely timescales; it does not decide your pay.
• Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act where the condition counts as a disability — changed duties, hours, equipment or location.
• Phased return — a gradual build-up of hours, usually paid at full pay for hours worked with sick pay covering the rest, agreed with OH and your manager.
• Ill-health retirement — pension scheme members who are permanently incapable of their NHS work (tier 1) or any regular work (tier 2) can apply; this is assessed by medical advisers, not your trust.
• Capability dismissal — as a last resort, after a fair process including OH input, consultation and consideration of alternatives, long-term ill-health can lead to dismissal. It is lawful, but the process requirements are strict and union representation is essential.

Keep fit notes continuous (gaps can break the sick-pay record), stay in reasonable contact with your manager, and attend OH appointments — non-attendance without good reason weakens your position.

Worked examples

These show the monthly value at full pay; half-pay months are half of that (topped up to at least SSP). Staff in Scotland and Wales have equivalent sick-pay provisions under their own terms. If absence relates to pregnancy, also read our maternity pay guide — pregnancy-related absence has specific protections.

Frequently asked questions

How much sick pay do NHS staff get?

It depends on length of service: under 1 year gets 1 month's full pay plus 2 months' half pay; 1–2 years gets 2 months full plus 2 months half; 2–3 years gets 4 plus 4; 3–5 years gets 5 plus 5; 5 or more years gets 6 months' full pay plus 6 months' half pay.

How does the 12-month sick pay rule work?

Any sick pay you received in the 12 months before a new absence starts is deducted from your entitlement. For example, a staff member with 5+ years' service who already used 2 months' full pay in the past year has 4 months' full pay left, not 6.

Do NHS staff get Statutory Sick Pay as well?

NHS occupational sick pay includes SSP — you don't get both on top. During half-pay periods your pay is topped up so you receive no less than the SSP rate.

How many sick days can NHS staff take before a fit note?

You can self-certify for the first 7 calendar days of sickness. From day 8 you need a fit note from a GP or other healthcare professional — the same as the rest of the UK workforce.

Is NHS sick pay based on basic salary only?

Sick pay is based on what you would have received had you been at work — normally your basic salary. Regular enhancements are generally included in some circumstances; check your trust's policy or ask payroll.

What happens when NHS sick pay runs out?

When occupational sick pay is exhausted you may still qualify for Statutory Sick Pay for up to 28 weeks. After that, options include Employment and Support Allowance, ill-health retirement for pension scheme members, or dismissal on capability grounds after a fair process.

Can I be sacked for long-term sickness in the NHS?

Yes, in principle — capability dismissal for long-term ill-health is lawful, but only after a fair process including occupational health assessment, reasonable adjustments, and consideration of alternatives such as redeployment or ill-health retirement.

Sources and independence

Source: NHS Employers — Agenda for Change terms and conditions, Section 14 (sickness absence).

Source: GOV.UK — Statutory Sick Pay.

Source: CMS Law — Employment Rights Act tracker (SSP day-one entitlement and lower-earnings-limit removal from 6 April 2026).

NHS Bands Pay is an independent information website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the National Health Service or NHS Employers. Trusts operate local absence-management policies within the national framework, so always check your trust's policy alongside the national terms. The calculator is an estimate only.