Starting in April 2026, all workers in England will have to follow new rules about sick pay. At the beginning of the new fiscal year, anyone who misses work because they are sick will have to deal with two big changes.
The Department for Business and Trade says that changes to the Employment Rights Act will make sure that employees who don’t make much money are financially secure when they are sick and will help keep infections from spreading in the workplace.
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Starting in April, the Lower Earnings Limit and the three-day wait for sick pay will both be gone.
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The new rule is that Statutory Sick Pay for all workers will be based on 80% of their average weekly earnings or the flat weekly rate of £123.25, whichever is lower.
Starting April 6, all eligible employees will be able to get Statutory Sick Pay from the first full day of absence, no matter how much they make. We use your sign-up to give you content in ways that you have agreed to and to learn more about you. Based on what we know about you, this could include ads from us and other companies. More details
The changes were made after Acas, a conciliation service, published research on changes to the Employment Rights Act. The new study found that the new protections against unfair dismissals would also have a big effect on both workers and employers.
Employers said that new paternity leave rights were their third biggest worry, while workers said that the new changes to flexible working were their top concern. Acas said that these results will help it give workers and bosses the help they need the most.
Niall Mackenzie, Acas’s chief executive, said, “The Employment Rights Act is a big change in employment law that will affect businesses and workers all over the country.”Both employers and employees need to understand the new rules, and Acas is still the best independent organization to help everyone at work during this time of change.Acas will work with employers, workers, and their representatives to put the Employment Rights Act into effect. We will also update our training and advice.
The survey showed that 43% of employers and 36% of workers said that giving sick pay to workers from the first day of illness instead of the fourth would have the biggest effect on them.
The second most popular change was to protect workers from being fired unfairly after six months on the job instead of two years. This was chosen by 31 percent of employers and 30 percent of workers. Starting on April 6, these changes will be made.
