Sovereign AI governance of UK Statutory Sick Pay — eligibility cascading, employer liability, fit note integration, linked period rules, and HMRC recovery. 12 entry points × 8 transformation priorities × 6 MCPs. Audit-grade. Signed. UK-sovereign.
Employee status verification (contract of service, not contract for services). Lower Earnings Limit (£123/week) from 8-week lookback. Minimum period of incapacity (4 qualifying days). PIW/PIDW linked period rules (8-week gap test). Employment start date validation against employer PAYE records. Agency worker qualification under AWR 2010. Multiple employer aggregation for NI Class 1 cross-match. Student and apprentice eligibility edge cases. Waiting days calculation (first 3 days unpaid). Maximum SSP duration (28 weeks per PIW).
Employer-funded SSP at statutory rate for up to 28 weeks. No HMRC recovery mechanism — SSP is an employer cost. Small employer relief scheme (compensation where SSP exceeds 13% of NIC liability). Payroll system integration (Sage, Xero, ADP, Workday). Multi-site employer aggregation across PAYE references. Group payroll consolidation for subsidiary companies. Cash flow impact modelling for SMEs. Occupational sick pay scheme overlay analysis. Absence cost forecasting per employee cohort.
Current SSP rate (£116.75/week from April 2025). Daily SSP rate calculation for part-week absences. Average Weekly Earnings computation from 8-week lookback period. Variable pay smoothing across irregular earnings. Bonus and commission inclusion rules. Overtime averaging over reference period. Shift pattern calculation for non-standard schedules. Part-year worker (term-time) adjustment methodology. Weekly, fortnightly, and monthly pay period alignment. Annual uprating tracking and implementation.
Small employer recovery scheme eligibility (NIC compensation). Employer Payment Summary (EPS) filing via RTI for offset claims. Real Time Information cross-match verification. NIC Class 1 compensation against SSP paid. Late filing penalty avoidance workflows. Employer compliance audit readiness. Payroll agent delegation and authorisation management. Cross-tax-year SSP reconciliation. Statutory payment recovery ordering (SSP vs SMP vs SAP vs ShPP).
GP fit note digital integration via NHS Spine. Med3/Med5 digital certificate processing. Fit note return-to-work recommendations parsing. Employer obligation to consider fit note adjustments. Referred condition and workplace adaptation mapping. Fit note expiry and renewal cascade. Self-certification (7-day) to fit note transition. Hospital/consultant fit note acceptance. Electronic fit note (e-fit note) adoption tracking. Occupational health referral trigger from fit note data.
8-week gap test for PIW linkage. Linked Period of Incapacity for Work (PIDW) aggregation. 28-week maximum SSP per PIW reset calculation. Pattern of recurring sickness identification. Serial short-term absence linked period detection. Calendar day vs qualifying day distinction. Overlapping PIW rules for multiple employers. Seasonal worker linked period edge cases. Return-to-work minimum period validation. Long-term sickness transition pathway (SSP → ESA/UC).
Employer OH referral integration with SSP process. Workplace adjustment recommendation engine from fit note data. Return-to-work interview protocol automation. Reasonable adjustment obligation tracking under Equality Act 2010. Stress and mental health workplace trigger identification. Musculoskeletal workplace risk assessment. Long-term condition management pathway. Workplace rehabilitation programme tracking. Occupational health case management integration. Disability discrimination early warning system.
SSP-to-ESA/UC transition automation at week 28. ESA new-style eligibility cascade (NI Class 1 credits). UC health element assessment trigger. Work Capability Assessment referral pathway. Fit for Work service integration. Access to Work scheme cross-referral. Permitted work rules interaction. Carer's Allowance overlap detection. Hospital inpatient benefit adjustment. Long-term sickness absence employer notification protocol.
HMRC RTI employment verification against declared employer. Multiple employer claim detection across PAYE references. Phantom employment creation detection. NI Class 1 contribution validation in real-time. Fit note anomaly detection (repeat patterns, single-GP clusters). Employer collusion risk scoring for fictitious sickness claims. Proportionate investigation with dignity protocol. No blanket surveillance of genuinely sick employees. Overpayment recovery with hardship assessment. Pattern-of-absence analytics distinguishing genuine from malingered sickness.
Universal Credit taper interaction during SSP receipt. ESA new-style eligibility cross-check at week 28. Housing Benefit continuity during sickness period. Council Tax Reduction preservation. Benefits cap interaction analysis. In-work conditionality suspension during sickness. Carer's Allowance overlap detection. Statutory Maternity Pay interaction during concurrent pregnancy. Pension contribution continuity during SSP. Passport benefit routing to connected support schemes.
Employer SSP refusal challenge and HMRC determination. Eligibility dispute resolution (employee status, earnings test). Rate calculation dispute (AWE computation, pay components). Linked period dispute (8-week gap, PIW reset). Fit note acceptance challenge. HMRC compliance challenge for small employer recovery. Employment tribunal preparation for unlawful deduction. ACAS early conciliation pathway. Outcome analytics and precedent tracking. Multi-employer dispute coordination.
Caseload analytics (~2.5M SSP claims/yr). Employer compliance rate monitoring. Absence trend analysis by sector, region, and demographic. Fit note digital adoption tracking. Long-term sickness pathway outcome metrics. Equality impact assessment (gender, ethnicity, age, disability). Privacy by design for medical and employment data. Parliamentary statistics publication pipeline. Cross-scheme interaction modelling (SSP/ESA/UC). Occupational health intervention effectiveness tracking.
End-to-end digital fit note flow from GP to employer to DWP. NHS Spine e-fit note real-time processing. Employer fit note portal with workplace adjustment recommendations. Fit note expiry and renewal cascade automation. Target 95% digital-first fit notes by 2028. Eliminate paper Med3/Med5 processing.
Automated SSP eligibility determination from payroll data. Real-time LEL check via HMRC RTI integration. Daily SSP rate calculation for part-week absences. Payroll system API integration (Sage, Xero, ADP, Workday). Small employer recovery scheme instant processing. Target 90% automated SSP calculation without manual intervention.
Seamless SSP-to-ESA/UC transition at week 28. Automated new-style ESA eligibility cascade from NI credits. UC health element pre-population from SSP records. Work Capability Assessment digital referral. Fit for Work and Access to Work cross-referral. Target zero gap in income support during SSP exhaustion.
Automated NIC compensation claims via RTI integration. Small employer relief instant processing. Cross-tax-year SSP reconciliation automation. Payroll agent portal with delegated authority. Statutory payment recovery ordering optimisation. Target 48-hour HMRC recovery cycle for compliant employers.
Employer OH referral integration triggered by fit note data. Workplace adjustment recommendation engine. Return-to-work interview protocol automation. Equality Act 2010 reasonable adjustment tracking. Disability discrimination early warning system. Target 80% of OH referrals from digital fit note data within 6 months.
Automated 8-week gap test and PIW linkage from employer records. Pattern-of-absence analytics for genuine vs recurring sickness. Serial short-term absence detection with linked period aggregation. Long-term sickness transition prediction at week 20. Target 95% accurate linked period classification without manual review.
HMRC RTI employment verification as primary control. Proportionate risk-scoring focused on employer-side irregularities. Fit note anomaly detection (repeat patterns, single-GP clusters). Dignity-first compliance: no blanket surveillance of genuinely sick employees. Target <0.1% fraud rate while maintaining 98% claimant trust and access.
Single record across SSP/ESA/UC/PIP/DLA. Auto-eligibility cascade triggered by SSP claim exhaustion. No sick worker navigating five separate benefit systems. Joined-up support from first absence through long-term sickness management. Single digital sickness identity with privacy-by-design architecture.
Employee status verification. £123/week LEL earnings test. 4-day PIW threshold. 8-week gap linkage. Waiting days calculation. 28-week maximum. Agency worker AWR. Multiple employer aggregation. NI Class 1 cross-match.
SSP liability calculation. No HMRC recovery (employer cost). Small employer NIC compensation. Cash flow impact for SMEs. Payroll system integration. Group payroll consolidation. Occupational sick pay overlay. Absence cost forecasting.
SSP rate (£116.75/week). Daily rate calculation. AWE 8-week lookback. Variable pay smoothing. Bonus/commission inclusion. Overtime averaging. Shift pattern calculation. Part-year worker adjustment.
GP fit note digital integration. NHS Spine e-fit note. Med3/Med5 processing. Return-to-work recommendations. Fit note expiry cascade. Self-certification transition. OH referral trigger. Electronic adoption tracking.
8-week gap test. PIW/PIDW aggregation. 28-week max reset. Recurring sickness pattern. Serial absence detection. Calendar vs qualifying day. Overlapping PIW rules. Seasonal worker edge cases.
Caseload dashboard (~2.5M/yr). Employer compliance metrics. Absence trend analysis. Fit note adoption tracking. Long-term pathway outcomes. Parliamentary reporting. International benchmarking. Reform simulation engine.