Can I get sick pay if I'm a self-employed tradesperson?

No. Statutory Sick Pay (up to £123.25 a week in 2026-27) is for employees. If you're self-employed and too ill to work, you may get New Style ESA, up to £95.55 a week for most adults, or Universal Credit.

When you work for yourself, nobody pays you when you can't pick up the tools. This page follows GOV.UK and DWP guidance as checked on 19 October 2026.

Why there's no Statutory Sick Pay

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid by an employer, for up to 28 weeks. GOV.UK says that to get it you must be classed as an employee. A sole trader working for their own customers has no employer to pay it.

CIS subcontractors should check one thing first. GOV.UK says HMRC can treat someone as self-employed for tax even if they have a different status in employment law, and an employee in employment law can be entitled to SSP. If one contractor controls when, where and how you work, read whether a CIS subcontractor is employed or self-employed and GOV.UK's employment status guide before you rule SSP out.

If you also have a job on the side, you may get SSP from that job, covering only that job's pay. While you get SSP you can't get New Style ESA, but GOV.UK says you can apply up to 3 months before your SSP ends.

New Style ESA: the benefit your National Insurance pays for

New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) is for people under State Pension age whose illness, health condition or disability limits how much they can work. If you have reached State Pension age, it isn't open to you. It is a contributory benefit: it depends on the National Insurance you paid or were credited with in 2 earlier tax years (see which years count, below). GOV.UK says your savings and your partner's earnings don't affect it, and that Class 1 or Class 2 contributions count, from employment or self-employment.

For self-employed trades, the Class 2 part matters:

Each year is compared with its own threshold, because the threshold changes:

Which years count. DWP doesn't use the tax year you claim in. It uses a "benefit year", which starts on the first Sunday in January, and looks at the last 2 complete tax years before that benefit year began. So for a claim made between 4 January 2026 and 2 January 2027, the years that count are 2023-24 and 2024-25. From 3 January 2027 they move on to 2024-25 and 2025-26.

A quiet year with low profits, or a year you were only self-employed for part of, can leave a gap, which is one reason some people pay voluntary Class 2. See should I pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance?

How much New Style ESA pays

GOV.UK lists these ESA amounts:

It is paid every 2 weeks, and a Work Capability Assessment decides your group. GOV.UK says New Style ESA lasts 365 days if you are in the work-related activity group, with no time limit in the support group. A private pension over £85 a week reduces it, by half of the amount over £85.

You can usually only do a little work while you claim ESA: GOV.UK's limits are under 16 hours a week and no more than £203.50 a week, and you must tell Jobcentre Plus. So you can't keep trading normally and claim it.

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is the means-tested route. It looks at your household's income and savings, and it can include amounts for rent and for children, which New Style ESA doesn't. Savings above £16,000 between you and a partner usually rule it out.

You can claim both. GOV.UK says your Universal Credit is then reduced by the New Style ESA you get. If you're still trading, even a little, Universal Credit has its own rules for self-employed earnings. See how Universal Credit works if you're self-employed.

Your tax doesn't stop when you do

Being off sick doesn't change your tax deadlines. If you're still registered as self-employed:

• your Self Assessment return and any tax due keep their usual dates
• if you're in Making Tax Digital, quarterly updates are still due
• if you have stopped trading for good, tell HMRC; see how to stop being self-employed

If a serious illness stopped you filing on time, HMRC may accept it as a reasonable excuse for a late filing penalty, but you have to appeal and explain, and GOV.UK says you must send the return or payment as soon as you're able to.

What this means for you

If you were self-employed all year and your profits were at or above each year's small profits threshold in the 2 tax years that count for your claim (2023-24 and 2024-25 for a claim made now), and those returns were filed, you have probably built up New Style ESA cover already, without paying anything extra for it. Up to £95.55 a week is a fraction of what a working trade earns, so many sole traders also keep their own cover or savings.

Steps to take

1. Check your National Insurance record for gaps in the last 2 to 3 tax years.
2. If a low-profit year left a gap, look at whether voluntary Class 2 is worth paying for it.
3. If you can't work, apply for New Style ESA online and send fit notes from a GP or another healthcare professional.
4. Check whether you can claim Universal Credit as well, especially if you have rent or children.
5. Keep your tax return and any quarterly updates on time, or get help with them.

Use the free MTD check to see when Making Tax Digital starts for you, and the trades section for more guides.