When Does NHS Sick Pay Reset

When Does NHS Sick Pay Reset?

NHS contractual sick pay does not normally return in full on a fixed date each year. When a new sickness absence begins, the employer generally reviews paid sickness absence recorded during the immediately preceding 12 months.

As older absences move outside this rolling period, they may stop affecting the review. However, this does not guarantee that full sick-pay entitlement is restored on that date. Your NHS employer must still consider your length of service, previous payments, contractual terms and payroll records.

The calculator above helps you review which completed sickness episodes fall within the relevant 12-month window. It does not make an entitlement or payroll decision.

How the Rolling 12-Month Calculation Works

Enter the proposed first day of the new sickness episode and select your reckonable NHS service level. You can then add up to five completed previous sickness episodes.

The calculator:

• Starts the rolling period 12 calendar months before the proposed absence date
• Ends the period on the day immediately before the proposed absence
• Includes only the part of each episode falling inside that window
• Counts sickness using inclusive calendar days
• Merges overlapping or directly adjoining dates to prevent double counting
• Identifies the earliest date on which an entered episode may fall completely outside a future 12-month review

Leave any unused episode fields blank. If you enter a start date, you must also enter its matching end date, and the end cannot be earlier than the start.

Use the output as a guide when reviewing your options. For a broader record of absences across the same reference period, use the NHS 12 Month Rolling Sickness Calculator.

Worked Example

Suppose a new sickness episode may begin on 1 September 2026. The rolling review window would run from:

1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026

The employee enters these completed absences:

• 10 November 2025 to 14 November 2025: 5 calendar days
• 3 March 2026 to 7 March 2026: 5 calendar days
• 5 January 2026 to 6 January 2026: 2 calendar days
• 10 June 2026 to 12 June 2026: 3 calendar days

All four episodes fall inside the selected window:

5 + 5 + 2 + 3 = 15 recorded calendar days

The earliest entered episode ends on 14 November 2025. It may be entirely outside a future 12-month window for an absence beginning on 15 November 2026.

That date is only a potential review point. It is not a guaranteed sick-pay reset date because another absence, a continuing episode or an employer’s payroll record may alter the position.

NHS Sick-Pay Allowances by Length of Service

The standard Agenda for Change provisions describe the following maximum allowances, subject to the relevant conditions:

These are maximum contractual periods, not amounts automatically available for every new absence. Previous paid sickness within the rolling reference period may affect what remains.

The calculator deliberately keeps the allowance in months rather than converting it into a fixed number of days. Payroll interpretation can depend on contractual rules and the employee’s recorded absence history. For a more focused estimate based on service length and previous sickness, review the NHS Sick Pay Entitlement Calculator.

Reset Date, Review Date and Trigger Date

These dates describe different things:

• A rolling review date is the first day of a new sickness episode on which the employer reviews relevant previous absences.
• A potential clearing date is when an older completed episode may fall outside a future 12-month window.
• An absence trigger date relates to an employer’s attendance-management process and does not automatically determine contractual sick pay.

An employee may therefore have an absence leave the rolling window while still reaching an attendance trigger under the applicable organisational policy. If you need to assess frequency or duration triggers separately, use the NHS Absence Trigger Calculator.

What Can Affect the Final Decision?

Your calculator estimate may not match the final payroll outcome due to:

• Incorrect or incomplete absence dates
• A continuing sickness episode
• Overlapping absence records
• Breaks in service or reckonable service adjustments
• Previous full-pay or half-pay payments
• Injury allowance or another applicable arrangement
• Local attendance-management procedures
• Contractual protection or authorised discretion
• Payroll rounding and processing dates

Check the result against your absence record, employment contract and payslip. Your manager, HR team or payroll department can confirm how the rules apply to your circumstances.

The contractual provisions are set out in the official NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook. Other pay and absence tools are available from the NHS Salary Calculators homepage.

FAQs

Q1: Does NHS sick pay reset every April?
A: No universal annual reset applies. A new absence is normally assessed using relevant paid sickness during the immediately preceding 12 months.

Q2: Does sick pay reset 12 months after my last absence?
A: Not automatically. An older episode may leave a future rolling window, but other absences and payments can still affect your entitlement.

Q3: Are weekends included when sickness days are counted?
A: The calculator counts inclusive calendar dates recorded for each completed episode. Your employer’s official absence and payroll records determine the final contractual calculation.

Q4: Can I use the calculator for an ongoing sickness episode?
A: Enter only completed previous episodes. The proposed start-date field is used to establish the rolling window for a possible new absence.

Q5: Does the next potential review date restore full sick pay?
A: No. It indicates when the earliest entered episode may fall outside a future 12-month window. It does not guarantee the restoration of full entitlement.

Q6: Who confirms my remaining NHS sick pay?
A: Your NHS employer’s payroll or HR team must confirm the final position using your service history, absence record and contractual terms.