MPs on the Work and Pensions Committee are calling for an increase in the rate of statutory sick pay (SSP) in line with statutory maternity pay to strike a reasonable balance between providing extra financial support and not placing excessive extra costs on businesses.

This approach would increase the rate to £172.48 per week (using the 2023–24 rate), or 90% of earnings, whichever was lower. This would be considerably more than the 2023–24 SSP rate of £109.40. However, it said the current three-day waiting period should not be removed as ‘it could result in significant behavioural change by employees’.

The committee also said that all employees should be eligible for SSP, not just those earning above the lower earnings limit with a recommendation the government introduced this change from April 2025.