Staff across the country are starting to worry about their next paycheck amid the fast coronavirus outbreak in the UK. While some jobs can be performed from home, many companies are facing the risk of closing down their operations for a few weeks. Worried about not getting paid? We recommend that you check your contract. The majority of employees are eligible for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), which entitles them to a minimum of £94.25 a week. Some employers may, however, carry on paying staff full salary.

If you fear you may have coronavirus and need to self-isolate, you should immediately notify your employer. Under the recent emergency legislation measures, employees are granted the payment of Statutory Sick Pay from the very first day of sickness instead of the fourth. You won’t need a sick note from your doctor during this period. Should your employer fail to authorise your time off, we recommend calling NHS 111 who will able to help you and provide evidence for your absence from work. Many employees on zero-hour or casual contracts have also expressed fear of not being able to access statutory sick pay, however, in certain cases, you may be granted SSP even if you only work part-time; you will need to have earned an average of £118 per week for the past eight weeks.

Citizen Advice may also be able to help with issues related to sick pay or problems getting paid. If you are self-employed, you may be eligible to Employment and Support Allowance (EMA) funds, for more information visit gov.uk.