Taking a Sick Day When You’re Self-Employed

You might not need to tell the boss you’re sick when you’re self-employed, but that doesn’t stop you getting sick in the first place. Unfortunately, self-employment often means you won’t get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) unless you’re a director, but you might be entitled to other benefits if sickness or injury prevents you from working.

Financial help for self-employed people who are sick or injured

The type of support you’re eligible for can vary depending on the nature of your condition, and what level of help you need. In some cases, like with the Employment and Support Allowance, you’ll need to have made enough National Insurance contributions to qualify for help.

That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to get other types of benefit while you need them though. Universal Credit is paid monthly to help with living costs if you’re on a low income or unable to work. In most cases you’ll normally be eligible if you’re aged between 18 and state pension age.

The gov.uk website goes into more detail about what sort of support is available, who’s eligible, and how much you’ll get.

What can self-employed people do if they need time off?

If you have a fully operational crystal ball then this bit is fairly straightforward. If not, planning for the unexpected takes a bit more consideration. There are lots of options, ranging from ‘this might happen one day so I should think about it now’ to ‘The Bad Thing is Today Please Help’. We’ll go over both.

Budget for potential loss of earnings

Working out what to charge clients is already a nerve-wracking balancing act of what you think clients will pay versus what you need (and deserve). So we’re sorry to make this more complicated.

As well as factoring in your experience, competitors, and value to the client, it’s also useful to think about covering the cost of time off – whether or not you know it’s coming. Building this into your fee structure can at least give you a bit of breathing room to put money aside each month.

Let your clients know

Communicating with your clients is key, especially if this is shaping up to be an extended absence or you’re going to miss a deadline. Nobody is immune to illness or getting hurt, so hopefully they’ll be very sympathetic. It’s generally useful to give an expected timeframe and some potential solutions to choose from. For example, suggest moving the deadline, or offer a compromise.

Outsourcing the work

Having a couple of emergency freelancers that you trust could be useful if you want to avoid disappointing your clients. Yes, this will cost money. But if there is a pressing deadline that you can’t afford to miss, outsourcing the job to a freelancer could help you hit it.

Focus on getting better

It’s important not to rush getting better. By now, most of us will roughly know how long it takes to get over a cold. If you manage to get some light work done, that’s great, but if you push yourself too much, you’ll likely only lengthen your illness by trying to ‘fight through it’. You’re being very brave, and we’re proud of you.

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