Claims portal reopens for Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme
HMRC has reopened a claims portal for small employers to again claim refunds for coronavirus (COVID-19)-related sick pay.
The reopening follows the announcement of the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme (SSPRS) from 21 December 2021 for employers with fewer than 250 employees by the government. The maximum claim per employee is two weeks at the statutory sick pay (SSP) rate of £96.35 per week (£192.70 in total). The employer’s claim is also capped at the number of employees in its PAYE scheme on 30 November 2021.
The claims portal reopened on 19 January 2022 and employers can check the eligibility of their claims on GOV.UK. HM Treasury and HMRC have not announced an end date for the SSPRS. However, the legislation states that a claim may not be made after the end of 24 March 2022.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said: “There is an inevitable time lag between absence periods and having the information to make a claim (particularly when claims are made by agents). Therefore, there will hopefully be a realistic window between the end date for the SSPRS and the date that the claims portal will close.”
Laura Bright, Client Account Manager at Harvey Telford & Bates, said: “The Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme was reintroduced by the Chancellor in December due to the increase in Coronavirus cases. If an employee has been unable to work due to Covid-19, your business may be eligible to make a claim. Contact us today for assistance.”
To apply for the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, you will need:
- The number of employees you are claiming for
- Start and end dates of your claim period
- The total amount of sick pay you’re claiming back (this should not exceed two weeks of the set SSP rate)
- Your government gateway user ID and password that you got when you registered for PAYE online
- Your employer PAYE reference number
- Information about your UK bank or building society, including account number, sort code, name on the account and the address linked to it.
Internet link: GOV.UK
