When you cannot work
Illness, injury, caring for somebody — what exists for you, what does not, and what you would have to arrange yourself.
Is any of a fortnight off ill paid?
The law where you areAm I covered if I am hurt on their site?
The law where you areWhat happens if I am away for three months?
The law where you areWill the work still be there when I come back?
Four questions a person in this position actually asks. One of them has no answer anybody can give in advance, and nothing here fills a blank with a guess. Most people read this section for the first time in the week they need it.
Being Ill for a Week
Whether a week off ill is paid follows entirely from your category and your jurisdiction, and the time to find out is not the week you are ill.
Being Ill for Three Months
A long absence is a different problem from a short one: the income stops, the costs do not, and the arrangement itself may not survive it.
Hurt at Work
Duties about safety often attach to whoever controls a site whatever your category, which makes this one of the few areas where your status may matter less.
Insurance, and Whose It Is
Most cover in this position exists only because you bought it, and what a client requires you to hold is not the same as what would protect you.
Caring for Somebody Else
Time taken to care for another person is unpaid in most independent arrangements, and it is less predictable and often longer than illness of your own.
Pregnancy, and What Follows
What exists around having a child differs sharply by category and jurisdiction, and the windows for claiming are often much earlier than expected.
Coming Back
Returning after an absence rarely means returning to the same arrangement, and deciding what you want it to look like gives you something to propose.