SSP related - what do people typically do

Thedoctorswife1 · 2026-10-26T07:53:44+00:00

I’m in a bit of a pickle. I worked as a teacher during which I benefitted from benefits which I definitely took for granted. A year ago I changed jobs and now work in a charity. Due to recent ill health, I am now facing a period of sick leave. The charity only offers SSP. I can’t afford to live on this and I am not eligible for other benefits. I do have savings but these are obviously finite. What do people do? Do I take a short period of sick leave use the savings and then go back? I fear I will yo-yo. or do I leave and look for a less intense job? I am very new to this all.

LIZS · 26/10/2026 16:01

Most employers limit paid sick leave and ssp. You may be able to use annual leave instead but this will have an effect on the remaining time you can take off during the year. Are you likely to be off for an extended period or on an ongoing basis? Can you claim pip?

KindlySurfiingPlatypus · 26/10/2026 16:09

If your illness is expected to last more than a couple of weeks (eg fighting cancer) then you can claim Universal Credit to top up SSP to an amount that you can hopefully make ends meet on. This only kicks in once your savings are below £16,000. If you are getting UC for at least 3 months and have a mortgage, you can get the interest component of your mortgage payments as an SMI loan which you have to repay when you sell the house but it creates a temporary reprieve when cash flow gets tough. If your illness is likely to last for more than a year you can try to claim PIP. Most people with long term health conditions will apply for jobs that are compatible with their health capacity and will not take on work that is likely to exacerbate their health difficulties. In general even working no more than 16 hours a week at minimum wage you'll get more than SSP - and you can still apply for a UC top up - so if you have poor health but can manage some work it's often better to try to negotiate reduced hours with your employer rather than being fully off sick. I worked at 50% of full time throughout my cancer treatment although there were definitely some weeks where I only did about 10% and others when I did 70-80%

LIZS · 26/10/2026 16:33

KindlySurfiingPlatypus · 26/10/2026 16:09

If your illness is expected to last more than a couple of weeks (eg fighting cancer) then you can claim Universal Credit to top up SSP to an amount that you can hopefully make ends meet on. This only kicks in once your savings are below £16,000. If you are getting UC for at least 3 months and have a mortgage, you can get the interest component of your mortgage payments as an SMI loan which you have to repay when you sell the house but it creates a temporary reprieve when cash flow gets tough. If your illness is likely to last for more than a year you can try to claim PIP. Most people with long term health conditions will apply for jobs that are compatible with their health capacity and will not take on work that is likely to exacerbate their health difficulties. In general even working no more than 16 hours a week at minimum wage you'll get more than SSP - and you can still apply for a UC top up - so if you have poor health but can manage some work it's often better to try to negotiate reduced hours with your employer rather than being fully off sick. I worked at 50% of full time throughout my cancer treatment although there were definitely some weeks where I only did about 10% and others when I did 70-80%

Assume op has savings over the threshold for UC so cannot claim means tested benefits,