Fees and wages if someone is self isolating

[anju]

Hello everyone

If parents pay, are you still charging fees if their household is self isolating? I didn’t for that few weeks before lockdown started but need to decide what to do now.

If a member of staff has to self isolate due to own symptoms or household symptoms, are you just paying SSP? This hasn’t arisen yet in my setting.

Thank you 

[lynned55]

This question is cropping up, time again on facebook. My thoughts- 

Parent- Yes- I will charge - as do not feel it is any difference to catching CP , D&V or any other 101 germs/virus' from preschool and we are still providing a service- however if we have to close- then no- I wont charge,

Staff- If staff have to isolate due to household or themselves etc - then it will be our normal sickness policy (1 week pro rated) then SSP- If we close then we will pay

IF  and it's a big if- we dont get too many staff isolating then we could afford to pay. But I would be worried about paying 2/3 of them and then running out of funds. On the other hand I'm not sure we should pay if they are isolating because of someone in their household (and I include myself in that) 

I'm also little concerned about my staff that dont qualify for SSP- because they dont earn enough. To be honest I'm just burying my head in the sand at present and hoping it doesnt come up!! 

 

[anju]

1 minute ago, lynned55 said:

This question is cropping up, time again on facebook. My thoughts- 

Parent- Yes- I will charge - as do not feel it is any difference to catching CP , D&V or any other 101 germs/virus' from preschool and we are still providing a service- however if we have to close- then no- I wont charge,

Staff- If staff have to isolate due to household or themselves etc - then it will be our normal sickness policy (1 week pro rated) then SSP- If we close then we will pay

IF  and it's a big if- we dont get too many staff isolating then we could afford to pay. But I would be worried about paying 2/3 of them and then running out of funds. On the other hand I'm not sure we should pay if they are isolating because of someone in their household (and I include myself in that) 

I'm also little concerned about my staff that dont qualify for SSP- because they dont earn enough. To be honest I'm just burying my head in the sand at present and hoping it doesnt come up!! 

 

Thanks very much, Lynne. I should have decided about all this before term started but haven’t managed it!! I saw something on the news about people on low incomes maybe getting £500 if they have to self isolate so that would cover the ones not getting ssp if it happens. I’m thinking about charging reduced fees as a retainer kind of thing. I don’t know; I go round in circles. I couldn’t afford to pay staff when I have to get cover especially like you say, if it’s a few of them. But maybe if that was the case we would have to close anyway? Depends if it’s a confirmed case rather than symptoms pending a test result I suppose. It’s all doing my head in tbh. 

[lynned55]

Me too!! I did wonder whether to pay part wage- but then talking to my daughters - both who work for huge companies- and they are not paying if child sent home from school and told to isolate,  as they say  it's 'dependants leave'  Wouldn't get SSP unless symptomatic anyway.  Like you - I keep going round in circles- I saw the £500 thing but my staff that would be considered to be on a low income isn't because they are particularly low paid - its because they dont want to work anymore hours! Also I thought (but may have got this wrong) I heard they had to be in a 'lockdown' area- which we definitely aren't 

[anju]

6 minutes ago, lynned55 said:

Me too!! I did wonder whether to pay part wage- but then talking to my daughters - both who work for huge companies- and they are not paying if child sent home from school and told to isolate,  as they say  it's 'dependants leave'  Wouldn't get SSP unless symptomatic anyway.  Like you - I keep going round in circles- I saw the £500 thing but my staff that would be considered to be on a low income isn't because they are particularly low paid - its because they dont want to work anymore hours! Also I thought (but may have got this wrong) I heard they had to be in a 'lockdown' area- which we definitely aren't 

I thought you could get SSP even if non symptomatic but maybe that’s stopped now; I will try and find the info.

That’s interesting from your daughters.

i thought the £500 was anywhere but who knows?!!

“You could get SSP if you’re self-isolating because:

• you or someone you live with has coronavirus symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus
• you’ve been notified by the NHS or public health authorities that you’ve been in contact with someone with coronavirus
• someone in your ‘support bubble’ (or your ‘extended household’ if you live in Scotland or Wales) has coronavirus symptoms or has tested positive for coronavirus
• you’ve been advised by a doctor or healthcare professional to self-isolate before going into hospital for surgery”

this is from gov.uk

Edited September 20, 2020 by anju
Adding info

[lynned55]

So I'm just looking through the SSP guidance and it says The weekly rate was £94.25 before 6 April 2020 and is now £95.85. If you’re an employer who pays more than the weekly rate of SSP you can only claim up to the weekly rate paid.

So does this mean we could pay staff their normal salary & then claim back the £95.85 SSP? Or do we only claim it if this is what we pay?

[lynned55]

have coronavirus symptoms

are self-isolating because someone they live with has symptoms

are self-isolating because they’ve been notified by the NHS or public health bodies that they’ve come into contact with someone with coronavirus

are shielding and have a letter from the NHS or a GP telling them to stay at home for at least 12 weeks

have been notified by the NHS to self-isolate before surgery for up to 14 days

 

Those are the reasons you can claim back SSP

[anju]

Just now, lynned55 said:

have coronavirus symptoms

are self-isolating because someone they live with has symptoms

are self-isolating because they’ve been notified by the NHS or public health bodies that they’ve come into contact with someone with coronavirus

are shielding and have a letter from the NHS or a GP telling them to stay at home for at least 12 weeks

have been notified by the NHS to self-isolate before surgery for up to 14 days

 

Those are the reasons you can claim back SSP

That’s good at least 

[anju]

52 minutes ago, lynned55 said:

So I'm just looking through the SSP guidance and it says The weekly rate was £94.25 before 6 April 2020 and is now £95.85. If you’re an employer who pays more than the weekly rate of SSP you can only claim up to the weekly rate paid.

So does this mean we could pay staff their normal salary & then claim back the £95.85 SSP? Or do we only claim it if this is what we pay?

I’ll contact my accountant to find out exactly what happens. I assume we could claim the ssp Amount regardless of what we pay? My problem is still having to pay to cover the member of staff.

[Mouseketeer]

1 hour ago, lynned55 said:

. To be honest I'm just burying my head in the sand at present and hoping it doesnt come up!! 

You and me both lynned 🙈 so am interested to see how others are planning on handling this if/when it arises.

I haven’t seen £500 thing, could that mean the staff who don’t want to work enough hours to be eligible for SSP would get more than the ones who are? I really need to pin my committee officers down to put a plan in place for this.

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by Mouseketeer

[lynned55]

21 minutes ago, Mouseketeer said:

I haven’t seen £500 thing, could that mean the staff who don’t want to work enough hours to be eligible for SSP would get more than the ones who are? I really need to pin my committee officers down to put a plan in place for this.

 

Well I dont know- but in theory yes.

[louby loo]

51 minutes ago, Mouseketeer said:

You and me both lynned 🙈 so am interested to see how others are planning on handling this if/when it arises.

I haven’t seen £500 thing, could that mean the staff who don’t want to work enough hours to be eligible for SSP would get more than the ones who are? I really need to pin my committee officers down to put a plan in place for this.

 

I think they need to be on certain benefits to get the £500,  so it's not just anyone that can claim.

[lynned55]

18 hours ago, louby loo said:

I think they need to be on certain benefits to get the £500,  so it's not just anyone that can claim.

Really? How unfair- but doesn't surprise me