If you employ people and you’ve been meaning to sit down and work through the April changes, this is your reminder.
There’s a lot in this latest wave of employment law reform. Some of it changes employee rights. Some of it changes what employers need to pay. Some of it changes the records you now need to keep. And some of it increases the risk if things go wrong.
So rather than drowning in legal wording, here’s the practical version.
What changed in April 2026?
The main changes now in force include:
- Statutory Sick Pay is now a day-one right
- The lower earnings limit for SSP has been removed
- Eligible workers receive the lower of 80% of average weekly earnings or the flat SSP rate
- Paternity leave is now a day-one right in relevant cases
- Unpaid parental leave is now a day-one right
- Sexual harassment disclosures can now qualify for whistleblowing protection
- The maximum protective award in collective consultation cases has doubled from 90 to 180 days’ pay per affected employee
- Employers must now keep annual leave and holiday pay records for six years
- The Fair Work Agency has been established, with enforcement powers expanding over time
- Trade union recognition rules have changed
- April statutory pay and wage rates have increased
Statutory Sick Pay: one of the biggest practical changes
From 6 April 2026, SSP changed in a way that will affect a lot of employers.
Before this, SSP only applied if someone earned above the lower earnings limit, and it was only paid after waiting days had been served.
That has now changed.
For absences on or after 6 April 2026:
- there are no waiting days
- the lower earnings limit no longer applies
- eligible workers are entitled from day one
- SSP is paid at the lower of 80% of average weekly earnings or the flat statutory rate
- the new SSP rate is £123.25 per week
That means more workers may now qualify for SSP, including some lower-paid workers who would previously have fallen outside the rules.
For employers, this is not just a payroll update. It means sickness absence procedures, manager guidance and payroll processes all need to line up.
Paternity leave and parental leave are now day-one rights
From 6 April 2026, the qualifying service requirement for paternity leave and unpaid parental leave has been removed.
In simple terms, eligible employees no longer need the usual length of service before they can access those rights in the relevant circumstances.
That matters because a lot of policies, template letters and manager assumptions will still be based on the old 26-week qualifying period.
There are still notice requirements to follow, and paternity leave has transitional rules for some births around the implementation date, but the key message for employers is straightforward: do not rely on old service-based wording without checking it.
Sexual harassment disclosures now have stronger protection
From 6 April 2026, disclosures relating to sexual harassment can qualify as protected disclosures where the legal test is met.
That means an employee who raises concerns about sexual harassment may have whistleblowing protection, provided they reasonably believe the information is true and that the disclosure is in the public interest.
For employers, this means complaints about sexual harassment need to be handled carefully, consistently and properly documented. This is not an area for informal handling or defensive reactions.
Collective consultation risk has increased
If your business is proposing large-scale redundancies or fire-and-rehire processes, this change matters.
From 6 April 2026, the maximum protective award for failures in collective consultation has increased from 90 days’ pay to 180 days’ pay per affected employee.
That is a significant increase in financial exposure.
If you are anywhere near a restructure, redundancy programme or major contractual change affecting 20 or more employees, get advice early rather than trying to tidy it up later.
Annual leave records are now a legal requirement
This is one of the changes that could easily be missed, but it is important.
From 6 April 2026, employers must keep records showing compliance with annual leave entitlement and holiday pay rules for six years. That includes records relating to outstanding leave paid on termination.
This is more than good admin practice. Failure to keep the right records can lead to criminal penalties and unlimited fines.
If your holiday records are patchy, split across systems, or mostly sitting in someone’s inbox, now is the time to fix that.
The Fair Work Agency is now in place
The Fair Work Agency was established on 7 April 2026.
Its purpose is to strengthen enforcement of employment rights and create a more joined-up route for workers and employers to access information and action.
Its powers will expand over time, but the direction of travel is clear. Enforcement is becoming more active, more centralised and easier to pursue.
The agency is expected to play a role in enforcing statutory payments, recovering underpayments, supporting claims and recovering costs from businesses where appropriate.
Trade union recognition rules have changed
Further reforms have also removed:
- the 40% support threshold from recognition ballots
- the requirement for a union to show likely majority support for recognition before the process moves forward
This will not affect every SME day to day, but for employers in unionised or potentially unionising environments, it is a change worth understanding.
Don’t forget the April 2026 rate increases
Alongside the legal reforms, the usual annual increases to statutory rates have also taken effect.
From 1 April 2026
- National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over: £12.71 per hour
- Rate for workers aged 18 to 20: £10.85 per hour
- Rate for workers aged 16 to 17: £8.00 per hour
- Apprentice rate: £8.00 per hour
- Accommodation offset: £11.10 per day
From 5 April 2026
- Standard family leave pay: £194.32 per week
- Earnings threshold for family leave pay: £129 per week
From 6 April 2026
- Statutory Sick Pay: £123.25 per week
- Weekly pay cap for redundancy and the basic award: £751
- Maximum unfair dismissal compensatory award: £123,543
What policies and documents should employers review?
If you employ staff, this is the sensible checklist to work through now:
- Sickness absence policy and procedure
- Medical capability policy
- Paternity leave policy
- Parental leave policy
- Family leave policies and guidance
- Bereavement leave or compassionate leave policy
- Whistleblowing policy
- Sexual harassment reporting and investigation process
- Annual leave and holiday pay records
- Payroll settings and statutory payment calculations
- Redundancy and collective consultation processes
- Manager guidance notes or internal HR handbooks
- Template letters and employee communications linked to leave, absence and pay
What should business owners do next?
Don’t panic. But don’t ignore it either.
For most businesses, the right next step is to review what you already have, identify where old wording or old processes are still in place, and update the areas that create the biggest legal or practical risk.
If you’ve got employees, these changes are worth taking seriously. Not because every business is about to face a claim, but because staying compliant is usually much easier than trying to fix things after the fact.
👋 I’m Sophie Dodgson, founder of BeeSure HR, an award-winning HR and management consultancy supporting SMEs with practical, human and commercially grounded advice.
I help businesses stay compliant, handle people challenges confidently and make HR feel clearer, simpler and more workable.