Changes to eligibility for statutory sick pay

Implementation date: 6 April 2026

The Employment Rights Act 2025 includes provisions to make statutory sick pay (SSP) available to all workers. The Act removes:

• the requirement to earn at least the lower earnings limit; and
• the three-day waiting period for workers to be entitled to SSP.

Following a consultation, the Act sets the percentage rate for those earning below the current rate of SSP at 80% of normal weekly earnings.

In its Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update, the Government has confirmed that this measure will take effect on 6 April 2026.