Absence Cost Calculator
Calculate the true cost of employee absence and Bradford Factor score
Common Questions
What is the Bradford Factor?
The Bradford Factor (BF) = S² × D, where S is the number of separate absence spells and D is the total days absent over a rolling 52-week period. It gives greater weight to frequent, short absences (which are typically harder to plan around) versus a single long illness. A score of 4 spells × 12 days = 4² × 12 = 192. Many employers review employees who reach scores of 200 or 450.
Do I have to pay SSP during absence?
From April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is payable from day one of illness (the waiting days rule was abolished by the Employment Rights Act 2025). SSP is £116.75 per week (2025/26 rate) and is payable for up to 28 weeks. Employers cannot reclaim SSP from HMRC (the small employers' relief scheme was abolished in 2014). Your contract may provide enhanced sick pay above SSP.
What can I do to reduce absence rates?
Evidence-based approaches include: return-to-work interviews after every absence (even short ones), offering flexible or hybrid working, providing access to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), conducting regular wellbeing check-ins, clear absence management policies applied consistently, and referrals to occupational health. The CIPD recommends a supportive rather than punitive approach for better long-term outcomes.
Enter employee details and absence data to calculate the full cost.
Bradford Factor Benchmarks
- Under 50: Acceptable
- 50–199: Monitor closely
- 200–499: Formal review
- 500+: Disciplinary risk
Related Calculators
What's included in this calculator
Calculate the impact of short-term vs long-term absences.
Includes salary, overtime coverage, and sick pay costs.
Models productivity loss and administrative overhead.
Factor in agency staff or temporary contractor fees.
Compare your absence rates against UK industry averages.
Fully integrated with the new day-one sick pay rules.
The True Cost of Employee Absence in the UK
Employee absence is one of the most significant hidden costs facing UK employers. The CIPD's annual Health and Wellbeing at Work survey consistently finds that the average UK employee takes around 5–7 days off sick per year, with direct costs running to hundreds of pounds per employee annually. But the direct salary cost is only part of the picture — managers spend time on return-to-work interviews and absence monitoring, colleagues cover additional workload, and team productivity can fall noticeably even for short absences.
The Bradford Factor is the most widely used formula for measuring absence patterns in UK workplaces. It was developed at Bradford University and has been adopted by thousands of HR teams as a trigger system for identifying employees with problematic absence patterns. The formula (spells² × days) deliberately weights frequent, short absences more heavily than a single long period of illness — this reflects the reality that a string of Monday-morning absences is harder for a team to manage than a three-week period of continuous sick leave.
From April 2026, all employers must pay Statutory Sick Pay from day one of illness, following the abolition of the three-day waiting period under the Employment Rights Act 2025. This increases the minimum cost of any period of sickness absence but also removes the perverse incentive for employees to "push through" short illnesses at work, which can prolong recovery and spread illness to colleagues.