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The Coronavirus SSP Rebate Scheme

Created on  | Last modified on 

Summary

This article covers the Coronavirus SSP Rebate Scheme that was originally launched by the Government in May 2020 and ran until 30 September 2021.

Description

If you top-up your employee's pay while they're off sick you can only reclaim the SSP amount. Employees don't have to provide proof of sickness for you to make a claim to HMRC.

The repayment covers up to two weeks starting from the employee's first day of sickness, if the employee's unable to work because they either:

  • Have coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms.
  • Can't work because they're self-isolating because someone they live with has symptoms.
  • Are shielding and have a letter from the NHS or a GP telling them to stay at home for at least 12 weeks.

TIP: The coronavirus SSP scheme has now ended and you can no longer submit a claim for the Coronavirus SSP Rebate Scheme.

Resolution

Who can use the coronavirus SSP scheme?

The coronavirus SSP scheme has now ended and you can no longer submit a claim for the Coronavirus SSP Rebate Scheme.

Get ready to claim

To use the online service you'll need the Government Gateway user ID you got when you registered for PAYE Online. If you didn't register online you'll need to enrol for the PAYE Online service.

Work out your claim period

You can claim for multiple pay periods and employees at the same time. If you're making multiple claims, these claim periods can overlap.

To complete your claim you'll need the start and end dates of your claim period:

  • The start date of your claim is the start date of the earliest pay period you’re claiming for - If the pay period started before 13 March you’ll need to use 13 March as the start date.
  • The end date of the most recent pay period you’re claiming for - You can only claim for SSP paid in arrears so this must be dated on or before the date you make your claim.

What you'll need

To process your claim, you'll need the following information:

  • Your employer PAYE scheme reference number.
  • A contact name and phone number in case HMRC need to get in touch with you.
  • A UK bank or building society details.

    You should only provide bank account details where a BACS payment can be accepted.

  • The total amount of coronavirus SSP you've paid to your employees for the claim period - this shouldn't exceed the weekly rate that is set.
  • The number of employees you are claiming for.
  • The start date and end date of the claim period.

Records you need to keep

You must keep records of all the SSP that you want to reclaim from HMRC for at least three years. This includes:

  • The reason why an employee couldn't work.
  • Details of each period when an employee couldn't work, including start and end dates.
  • Details of the SSP qualifying days when an employee couldn't work.
  • National insurance numbers of all employees you paid SSP to.

NOTE: HMRC may need to see these records if there's a dispute over the payment of HMRC.

The COVID-19 SSP Reclaim Details report

The COVID-19 SSP Reclaim Details report picks up any COVID-19 SSP payments that you've made to your employees using the steps in our Coronavirus (COVID-19) and SSP guide. You can then use the report to gather the information that you need to make your COVID-19 SSP claim to HMRC.

CAUTION: If you used the manual SSP option to process any COVID-19 related SSP, the report won't include the manual SSP value. In this case, you need to manually include these dates and payments made to employees when making your claim on HMRC's portal. You must ensure that you don't reclaim anything over the maximum of 14 days.

Download and install the report

  1. To download the report, click the link below and follow the steps:
  2. If prompted to save the file, make a note of the file name, Covid19SSP.report.

    TIP: Depending on your web browser, the file may automatically download to your Downloads folder. In most browsers, you can view your downloads by pressing Ctrl+J on your keyboard.

  3. Browse to where you want to save it, for example, the Windows desktop.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Locate and right-click the saved report file, then click Copy.
  6. In Sage 50 Payroll, click Help, then About and click Program Details.
  7. Click the path to the Reports directory.
  8. Double-click ABSENCE, then click Edit, then Paste.

    TIP: If the Edit option doesn't appear, press the left Alt key on your keyboard.

  9. Close the window.

Run the COVID-19 SSP Reclaim Details report

  1. From the Employee List, select the required employees.
  2. Click Reports then click Absence.
  3. Click COVID-19 SSP Reclaim Details then click Preview.
  4. In Claim Period, enter the required date range.
  5. In CV-19 SSP Pay Element, select the required pay element.

    TIP: This is the name of the pay element that you used to process and COVID-19 related SSP. For example, Coronavirus SSP.

  6. Click OK.

The COVID-19 SSP Reclaim SSP Reclaim Report generates and displays the following information:

  • The start and end date of the claim
  • The number of employees in this claim
  • The total amount for this claim
  • Your PAYE reference
  • You bank account number and sort code

You can use the information on this report to submit your claim on HMRC's portal >