Being on sick leave can be a stressful situation to find yourself in, putting a financial strain on many people. People often wonder being off sick affects holiday entitlement. It’s an area that can cause confusion.
If you are pondering if you’ll receive holiday pay while off sick then we’ll demystify this common concern. Whether you are off sick long or short term, we cover how you accrue holidays during sick leave.
About Sick Leave & Holiday Leave
When you are on sick leave you still have statutory employment rights, including accruing holidays. This is the case for both short and long term sickness so holidays still build up no matter what.
If you are off sick and don’t take all your annual leave, your employer can’t take your holidays away. Unused holidays can be carried over into the next year. Up to 4 weeks of holiday can be carried forward to be used within 18 months.
If an employee becomes ill during or just before planned annual leave, they can switch to sick leave.
You can’t, however, be on sick and holiday leave at the same time – it’s one or the other.
Taking Holiday Instead of Sick Leave
You can speak with your employer about taking annual leave instead of sick leave, which can be useful. For instance, if you don’t qualify for sick pay then taking the time off as a holiday instead will mean not losing out financially.
You can then receive holiday pay instead of sick pay for this agreed period. It’s important to note though, that employers cannot force their employees to take holiday instead of sick pay.
However, an employer doesn’t have to agree to switch the leave from sick to holiday, this will depend on HR policy.
Sometimes, companies like to keep detailed absence logs and putting sickness down as a holiday may interfere with this process. It’s always well worth checking your contract of employment before requesting anything like this.
Do You Still Accrue Holidays When Off Sick?
When you have been required to take time off due to sickness, you are still accruing holidays during this absence.
The length of time you are off sick doesn’t affect your holiday rights and any unused days can also be carried over to the following year.
Employees can ask to be switched from sick to holiday pay during sick leave and then possibly switched back again if they are still unwell after the holiday period.
Long Term Sick Holiday Pay Entitlement
Long term sick leave takes its toll both physically and mentally on employees. Statutory sick pay is only paid out for a total of 28 weeks.
That means it can be beneficial to take any accrued holiday during this period, or at the end once sick pay runs out. You may be entitled to additional benefits once sick leave runs out, but using up your holiday entitlement can help bridge any gap between payouts.
Just be sure to find out about this in advance and have a chat with your boss.
Annual Leave During Sickness
You might assume you shouldn’t be going on holiday while off sick as it will look a little suspicious. However, you are entitled to still go on holiday, especially if it may aid your recovery.
For example, being signed off with stress might mean a holiday will help you regroup and take some time for yourself. If you’ve been signed off long term, you can still take your annual leave as normal.
The only time you’ll need to be mindful of going away while on sick leave is if the reason you are off renders you unfit to travel. In this situation, you should think about where you are going (an aeroplane might not be best) and if it’s appropriate.
In terms of mental health, sometimes a holiday can support recovery. A break is often suggested by medical professionals as a way of relaxing.
Can You Claim Annual Leave Back if You Were Sick?
You might be surprised to learn that you can claim back annual leave if you were sick on holiday. If you’ve fallen down with the dreaded lurgy on leave then you can ask for this to be taken as sick days.
This means you will be claiming back on the holiday you didn’t use (as you were ill ) ready to be used another time. If you don’t have the chance to use it in the current year then you can transfer it onto next year’s holiday entitlement.
FAQs
Someone off sick can be paid holiday pay instead if they request it and the employer agrees. They can’t be on both at the same time so it’s often a case of sussing out which is more convenient for both parties.
You won’t lose any holiday while off sick and will continue to accrue holiday entitlement even if you are off on long term sick.
