Statutory Sick Pay Is Changing in April 2026: What Every Employer Needs to Know

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is now well underway, and one of the most significant changes for employers will come into force on 6 April 2026. Whether you employ one person or one hundred, the upcoming reforms to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will affect you.

These changes are not minor tweaks — they fundamentally shift who qualifies for SSP and when it becomes payable. If you employ part-time, casual, or lower-paid staff, or if you rely on clear processes to manage short-term absence, this update needs to be on your radar.

Let’s break down what’s changing and what it means for your business.

1. The Lower Earnings Limit Is Being Abolished

Under the current rules, employees must earn above the lower earnings limit (around £123 per week) to qualify for SSP. This has historically excluded many part-time, casual, and lower-paid workers.

From 6 April 2026, this threshold disappears.

What this means in practice:

• Every employee will be entitled to SSP, regardless of their earnings.
• Employers who previously had no SSP obligations for certain workers will now need to budget for them.
• Sickness absence processes will need to apply consistently across the entire workforce.
• For many SMEs, this is a significant shift in both cost and administration.

2. SSP Will Be Payable From Day One

The second major change affects every employer, regardless of workforce structure.
The traditional three waiting days — during which SSP was not payable — are being removed. SSP will now be payable from the very first day of sickness absence.

Why this matters:

• Every short-term absence now has an immediate financial impact.
• Patterns of one- or two-day absences, which previously carried no SSP cost, will now trigger payment.
• Managers will need clearer guidance on how to handle short-term absence consistently and fairly.
• This change alone will require most employers to revisit their sickness absence procedures.

Your Sickness Absence Policy Is now out of date

If your current policy references:

• waiting days
• eligibility based on earnings
• or any SSP rules that are about to change

…it is now incorrect.

An inaccurate policy doesn’t just cause confusion — it creates legal and employee-relations risk. Employees must be given accurate information about their entitlements, and managers must be equipped to apply the rules consistently.

3. What Employers Should Do Now

To stay compliant and protect your business, you should:

• Update your sickness absence policy
• Remove references to waiting days and earnings thresholds, and ensure the policy reflects the new legal position.
• Refresh manager guidance

Managers need clarity on:

• return-to-work discussions
• trigger points
• spotting patterns of short-term absence
• consistent decision-making

Review your absence management strategy

• With SSP payable from day one, short-term absence becomes more costly. A proactive, fair, and well-communicated approach will be essential.

4. Need Support Updating Your Policies?

If you’d like your sickness absence policy fully updated — along with revised trigger points and manager guidance tailored to your organisation — I can prepare this for you as a priority.

These changes come into force in April 2026, but employers should begin preparing now to avoid last-minute risk and confusion.