Sick Pay Help

AdeIsAde

HELP!!

I'm currently off work sick due to depression and social anxiety - I panic around people. I have received a letter stating that I will now be paid 50% off my wage plus SSP from the end of October...

I can not afford to live of this as I have all the usual bills, mortgage, family stuff...

My wife is also being made redundant at the end of October and is in full time education.

What are my options as I am stressing out which isn't helping my illness?

Undervalued

Even the most generous company sick pay schemes generally drop to half pay after a certain length of time and will stop altogether at some point.

Obviously your net pay, after tax, will not drop quite as much as you will pay less tax etc.

You could ask on the benefits board if there is anything else you are entitled to claim but with half gross pay it is probably unlikely.

It is not an easy situation but the only real answer is to get help with your health problems so that you can either return to your job or more to a more suitable one.

AdeIsAde

I go to the doctors every fortnight for review and also get counselling. I'm just lost right now

Savvy_Sue

AdeIsAde wrote: »

I have received a letter stating that I will now be paid 50% off my wage plus SSP from the end of October...

Without wishing to panic you further, is that actually what it says? Our pay drops to 50% after a certain amount of time, but that 50% includes the SSP, just as the full pay in the early stages of our company sick pay includes the SSP.

If the employer was able to reclaim the SSP from HMRC then it might be paid on top, but that is no longer possible.

elsien

Will your wife be getting a redundancy payment that can tide you over for a bit?

Are there any bills that you can reduce payment on, or put on hold on a temporary basis. Mortgage payment holiday, for example? Non-essentials you can cancel for now?

I would suggest posting on the benefits board for your reduced circumstances to see if there are any other entitlements, but possibly also on the debt free wannabee board to see if people can advise on the best way to cut down on your current living costs.

agrinnall

If you can't work then it may be necessary for your wife to put her education on hold and return to work herself. You might also want to look at what other types of work you could do that won't cause your illness to worsen, as you'll probably find that in 6 months time your pay may stop altogether and your employer might well start to look at dismissal.

AdeIsAde

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Without wishing to panic you further, is that actually what it says? Our pay drops to 50% after a certain amount of time, but that 50% includes the SSP, just as the full pay in the early stages of our company sick pay includes the SSP.

If the employer was able to reclaim the SSP from HMRC then it might be paid on top, but that is no longer possible.

"...your pay will be reduced to half pay, from 28th October, plus any SSP to which you are entitled to..."

elsien wrote: »

Will your wife be getting a redundancy payment that can tide you over for a bit?

Are there any bills that you can reduce payment on, or put on hold on a temporary basis. Mortgage payment holiday, for example? Non-essentials you can cancel for now?

I would suggest posting on the benefits board for your reduced circumstances to see if there are any other entitlements, but possibly also on the debt free wannabee board to see if people can advise on the best way to cut down on your current living costs.

She gets 5 weeks wages, but was only part time. So the amount isn't massive.

Savvy_Sue

AdeIsAde wrote: »

"...your pay will be reduced to half pay, from 28th October, plus any SSP to which you are entitled to..."

OK, that seems clear, but note that SSP is only paid for 28 weeks. How long have you been receiving it for?

Undervalued

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

OK, that seems clear, but note that SSP is only paid for 28 weeks. How long have you been receiving it for?

When SSP runs out the OP can claim ESA. After a few months they would have to attend and "pass" a medical assessment (which is not guaranteed) but it would at least provide SSP / ESA level of benefit for a while longer.

AdeIsAde

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

OK, that seems clear, but note that SSP is only paid for 28 weeks. How long have you been receiving it for?

I've been off for almost 6 months on full pay. As far as I',m aware I haven't received any SSP

Torry_Quine

AdeIsAde wrote: »

I've been off for almost 6 months on full pay. As far as I',m aware I haven't received any SSP

You may not be aware but the SSP will have been included with your wage. You should get an SSP1 form from your employer to claim ESA soon.