Ssp

A question about : Ssp

Hi can someone help. A relative has broken their leg and is unable to work. Currently she helps her OH do the books for his business. However as the computer system and records are in the office and it is a bit cramped she would find it difficult to work there. Also unable to drive and due to family committments cannot keep the same hours as her OH.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

Best answers:

• DWP Statutory Sick Pay info
• Thanks Ted I read this but was still unclear as my relative is a named director of her hubby business. She rang the help number there but the woman was very negative with her and tried to put her off.
  As you will appreciate with a full leg cast she is severely incapacitated. She has had to employ a cleaner to keep the household running. I am helping out as much as possible by shopping and taking her out ocassionally.
• Poppy - i once had to query if i was eligible for SSP. What i got told was i had to be earning either more or at least the lower earnings limit (can't remember which). I'm not sure if i had had to be earning it for x amount of time also.
  In my case i didn't earn enough and as such was not entitled to SSP.
  This was in 2001. I can't remember amounts concerned (which i assume would be out of date by now anyway).
  I should imagine that somewhere like CAB or other welfare benefits place, will know full details.
  HTH
• Thanks Spendless.
  I have told her to go for filling in the form and submitting anyway as she has nothing to lose.
  This reminds me of my father having an accident when I was young. He too broke his leg and was hospital for 2 months and in full leg cast for 9 months. He was self employed and so was unable to work. He had paid NI all his life (but had been self employed nearly all his life) but income protection policies weren't around then (or if they were he had never heard of them). Anyway as he was sick and unable to work he was given Social Security benefits of Ј10 per week. This was to keep a family of 6. Their only other income was family allowance. There was no help with rent nothing. My mother had to go out to work in a factory for 2 years until he was recovered and business back on an even keel and debts repaid. From reading DWP notes it doesn't seem to offer any help if self employed. Whats the point of paying NI?
• poppy - i've just gone back to the link Ted gave and if you follow the 'can i get it' it then mentions who to contact to see if you are earning enough to claim SSP.
• Employee's guide to SSP
• Poppy
  Your friend needs to determine if she is employed by hubby's business. Is she on his payroll? Does he give her a payslip?
  If yes, then she needs to determine if her earnings are generally above or below the NI threshold i.e. does he deduct NIC from her pay. Often, pay is set at a level just below the threshold to avoid NIC and give the employee (your friend) more net pay. However, not paying NIC means that access to certain State Benefits are not available.
  She may not be an employee. He may just pay her "cash in hand" in which case, no NIC and therefore no State Benefits.
  SSP is the old Sickness Benefit. It used to be paid by the DHSS, but responsibility for paying it was passed to employers. So if she's an employee, then any SSP she's entitled to needs to be paid by hubby's business. IIRC, it's paid for the first 28 weeks of absence (by hubby's business). After that, she needs to make a claim for Incapacity Benefit and, if awarded, it will be paid by the Benefits Agency.
  HTH
• Right I have spoken to her. She pays NI as if self employed as she is a director of the company. She earns just the basic from the business so that her full tax allowance is used. They don't do any cash in hand as it confuses her for book keeping From what I read of the jobcentre site she is not employed and therefore is not entitled to SSP from the business. This should mean that she can apply for IB. Whether she gets it is another matter.
  Thank you all for taking the trouble to respond.
• Cos i was interested i have done a search and this is what i have found out
  NI is paid for from the LEL upwards but you do not contribute.
  LEL is currently Ј79 per week
  You don't pay NI contributions yourself till you are over Ј91 per week.
  (if what i've found is correct).
  These were all given a name UEL and Primary Threshold but i can't remember it all. My minds still boggling (lol)
  So therefore you could earn between Ј79-Ј91 not pay NI out of your wages but still get SSP. (as long as all the rest of the rules applied).
  I thought i'd find out cos i wondered if i'd been told incorrectly (wouldn't be the first time!) and i thought it may be of interest to others