Statutory Sick Pay Changes

Statutory Sick Pay is now payable from the first full day of sickness absence and is available to more employees. This change was introduced on 6 April 2026.

Key changes

• Statutory Sick Pay is available to all eligible employeesopens www.gov.uk in a new tab regardless of their earnings (the Lower Earnings Limit has been removed).
• Statutory Sick Pay is payable from the first full day of sickness absence. The 3-day waiting period has been removed.
• The rate of Statutory Sick Pay for all employees is calculated at 80% of their average weekly earnings or the flat weekly rate, whichever is lower.

Transitional arrangements

Guidance on transitional arrangementsopens www.gov.uk in a new tab sets out, for example, how to deal with sickness absences that started before 6 April 2026 but are still in progress when relevant provisions of the Employment Rights Act 2025 came into force.

Actions to take

• Review your sickness absence policies and check updates to any references to waiting periods or earnings thresholds.
• Check with your payroll provider how the changes will affect your payroll system.
• Communicate the changes to your management teams and staff.

Where these changes apply

The changes to Statutory Sick Pay apply across the whole of the United Kingdom.

More information

For more information:

• see the Statutory Sick Pay factsheetopens assets.publishing.service.gov.uk in a new tab
• visit the GOV.UK guidance on Statutory Sick Pay for employersopens www.gov.uk in a new tab
• register for the next live webinar about Statutory Sick Payopens attendee.gotowebinar.com in a new tab
• for support on managing employee absence, use the GOV.UK service for support with employee health and disabilityopens www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk in a new tab

You can also refer to the following resources from Acas:

• Acas webinar on how employers can effectively manage sickness and the return to work processopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab
• Acas training on absence managementopens obs.acas.org.uk in a new tab (fees apply).
• When an employee is off sickopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab
• Recording absenceopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab
• Statutory Sick Payopens www.acas.org.uk in a new tab

Explainer video: changes to statutory sick pay

See how these changes are working for businesses in practice