Long-Term
Sickness Explained
Pay, Rights & Career Impact. A clear, regulation-based guide to sick pay entitlement, half-pay triggers, and capability procedures.
Trust Notice: Based on Police Regulations 2003 & Home Office Guidance. Independent explanatory guidance.
Executive Summary
Sick pay rules in policing differ significantly from standard employment law.
The Essentials
- Full Pay Period: Typically 6 months in a rolling 12-month window.
- Half Pay Period: Follows full pay for a further 6 months.
- Capability: Long-term absence is a capability issue (fitness for role), not usually misconduct.
What Is Long-Term Sickness?
There is no strict definition in days, but in practice, "long-term" refers to absence that extends beyond standard recovery periods or approaches sick pay reduction triggers.
Rolling 12-Month Window
Pay entitlement is calculated by looking back 12 months from your first day of current absence. It is not a fresh start each calendar year.
Office Holder Status
As an office holder, you are not covered by Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). Your entitlement is defined by Police Regulations.
How Pay Is Calculated
Full Pay
Usually the first 6 months (183 days) of absence.
- • Basic Salary
- • London Weighting
- • Housing/Rent Allowance
Half Pay
The subsequent 6 months (183-365 days).
- • 50% Basic Salary
- • 50% Allowances
- • Full Pension Deductions
No Pay
After 12 months, pay may cease entirely discretionary review.
- • At Chief Officer Discretion
- • Pension Accrual May Pause
Critical Warning
Entitlements are cumulative. If you had 2 months off sick for a broken leg 8 months ago, you only have 4 months of full pay entitlement remaining now.
Discretion to Extend Pay
Chief Constables (usually delegated to HR Directors) maintain discretion to extend full pay status. This is not automatic.
Likely Factors for Extension:
- Waiting for NHS surgery/treatment
- Injury on Duty (often fully protected)
- Critical financial hardship
- Imminent return to work expected
Pension Impact
CARE 2015 Scheme: Pension is accrued on actual pensionable pay. If you drop to half pay, your pension pot usually grows at half the rate for that period.
Legacy Schemes: Often have protections based on final salary or deemed pay, meaning service may still count fully even during reduced pay.
Check Pension Calculator →Capability Process
Sickness is a capability issue ("can you do the job?"), not misconduct. However, you can still be dismissed via the Unsatisfactory Performance and Attendance (UPP) process if:
- • There is no prospect of return.
- • Adjustments cannot be accommodated.
- • Ill-health retirement is refused.
Considering Ill-Health Retirement?
If your absence is likely to become permanent until pension age, you need to understand the SMP process and tiers.
Ill-Health Retirement Explained →Frequently Asked Questions
How long do police get full sick pay?
Police officers are generally entitled to 6 months of full pay followed by 6 months of half pay within a rolling 12-month period. This is not a calendar year entitlement; it looks back at your sickness record over the previous 12 months.
What happens after 6 months sick?
After 183 days of cumulative sickness in a rolling 12-month period, you typically move to half pay. At this stage, you may be referred to Occupational Health for a capability review, and Chief Officers have discretion to extend full pay in exceptional circumstances.
Does half pay affect pension?
In the CARE 2015 Scheme, pension accrual is based on actual pay received. Therefore, moving to half pay reduces the pension accrued for that period. However, you remain an active member of the scheme.
Can I be dismissed for long-term sickness?
Yes, dismissal is possible under Unsatisfactory Performance and Attendance (UPP) procedures—known as capability. This is a staged process used when there is no realistic prospect of return to a meaningful role.