Statutory sick pay changes: April 2026

The Employment Rights Act's sick-pay reforms took effect on 6 April 2026 — the biggest change to SSP since it was created in 1983. Roughly 1.3 million low-paid workers who previously got nothing are now covered.

In force since

2026/27

6 April 2026

Day-one payment, no earnings threshold, and a new 80%-of-earnings rate where that's below the flat £123.25.

Old rules vs new rules

SSP before and after 6 April 2026
Rule	Before (2025/26)	Now (2026/27)
First payment	Day 4 (three unpaid “waiting days”)	Day one of sickness
Earnings requirement	At least £125/week — below it, nothing	None — all employees covered
Weekly amount	Flat £118.75	£123.25, or 80% of normal weekly earnings if lower
Maximum duration	28 weeks	28 weeks (unchanged)
Linked spells	≤8 weeks apart join up	Unchanged

Who gains, concretely

Short illnesses. A 3-day bug used to pay £0; it now pays 3 days of SSP (~£74 for a 5-day worker on standard earnings).
Low earners. Someone on £100/week — previously excluded entirely — now receives £80/week.
Variable-hours staff. No threshold means no falling in and out of coverage as the 8-week average moves.

One nuance cuts the other way: a worker earning between about £125 and £154 a week used to get the full flat rate once they qualified; the 80% rule now pays them slightly less than the flat rate. Parliament accepted that trade-off for universal day-one coverage.

Watching for the next change

More Employment Rights Act measures are staged through 2026–27 (day-one unfair-dismissal rights, guaranteed-hours rules for zero-hours contracts). We track commencement regulations and update this site's figures when they change — the methodology page explains the checking process. This page was last revised for the 6 April 2026 commencement.

Common questions

Does my employer have to update existing sick-pay policies?

Occupational schemes that already pay above SSP needn't change amounts, but any policy language referencing 'waiting days' or the lower earnings limit is now wrong and should be amended — SSP terms apply from day one regardless of what the handbook says.

I was mid-sickness when the rules changed — which rules apply?

From 6 April 2026 remaining waiting days vanished: days from that date were payable immediately, but the pre-change waiting days aren't retrospectively paid.

Did the SSP rate also rise in April 2026?

Yes — the flat rate went from £118.75 to £123.25 in the normal April uprating, separate from the structural reforms.

Sources for the figures on this page

Last checked 3 July 2026

How we keep these current: methodology & update policy.