New Statutory Sick Pay Rules UK April 2026: Everything Workers Need to Know

If you’ve ever dragged yourself into work while running a fever because three days without pay simply wasn’t an option – this is the article you’ve been waiting for.

From 6 April 2026, the UK’s approach to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is undergoing its most significant overhaul since 1985. The Employment Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in December, introduces these reforms as part of the most substantial changes to SSP in decades. The waiting period is gone. The earnings threshold is gone. And a new enforcement body has your back if your employer fails to comply.

This guide explains exactly what changes, what stays the same, how your sick pay is calculated under the new rules, and what to do if your employer doesn’t follow the law.

Why These Changes Matter: The Problem With the Old System

The old SSP system had two major problems that left millions of UK workers financially exposed when they fell ill.

The first was the three-day waiting period. Under the pre-reform system, SSP was only payable from the fourth qualifying day of absence – a rule widely criticised for encouraging presenteeism, meaning employees attending work while unwell due to financial pressure. If you had a 48-hour flu, you received nothing at all. Even for longer illnesses, you lost three full days of income before any support kicked in.

The second was the Lower Earnings Limit. Employees had to earn at least £125 per week to qualify for SSP. This excluded a huge swathe of the workforce – part-time workers, people on short-hours contracts, students in employment, and many of the lowest-paid workers in the economy. The people who could least afford unpaid sick days were the ones the system failed to protect.

Sickness absences in the UK are at their highest in 15 years, productivity is flatlining, and research consistently shows that financial pressure to attend work while ill worsens both individual health outcomes and workplace spread of illness. The government’s view is that a modernised SSP system will help address this by making it genuinely safe for workers to stay home and recover.

What Exactly Changes From 6 April 2026

Change 1: No More Waiting Days – SSP From Day One

SSP will be paid from the first full day of sickness absence, not from day four. This is a clean, immediate change with no exceptions for new employees or specific sectors. These are the most significant employer-cost changes to SSP in years, since from 6 April 2026, there will no longer be any waiting days before the employee is entitled to SSP.

What this means in practice: if you go off sick on a Monday, your SSP entitlement begins that Monday. If your illness lasts only two or three days, you are now entitled to payment for those days – something that simply wasn’t possible under the previous rules.

The government also believes this will help support phased returns to work. For example, if someone who normally works five days a week returns on an initial three-day basis, they will be entitled to SSP for the other two days per week they cannot yet manage. This is genuinely useful for people recovering from surgery, serious illness, or mental health conditions who need a gradual route back.

Change 2: The Lower Earnings Limit Is Abolished

SSP will now be available to all employees regardless of earnings, meaning 1.3 million more workers will be eligible. It does not matter whether you work four hours a week or forty. It does not matter if you earn above or below the previous £125 weekly threshold. If you are an employee in the UK, you are now covered.

Statutory sick pay is a UK-wide entitlement, so these changes will affect businesses in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as England and Wales. There is no regional variation here – the rules apply everywhere.

Change 3: A New Way of Calculating How Much You Receive

This is where it gets slightly more nuanced. SSP will be paid at 80% of normal weekly earnings or the uprated weekly flat rate of £123.25, whichever is lower.

Your average weekly earnings are calculated over the eight-week period before your absence begins.

How Much Will You Actually Get? Real Examples

Here is how the new calculation works across different earning levels:

Example A – Full-time worker earning £600/week 80% of £600 = £480. The flat rate of £123.25 is lower, so you receive £123.25 per week.

Example B – Part-time worker earning £200/week 80% of £200 = £160. The flat rate of £123.25 is lower, so you receive £123.25 per week.

Example C – Low-hours worker earning £100/week 80% of £100 = £80. £80 is lower than the flat rate, so you receive £80 per week.

Example D – Worker earning £135/week 80% of £135 = £108. £108 is lower than the flat rate, so you receive £108 per week.

The practical takeaway is that most employees who earn above roughly £154 per week will receive the flat rate of £123.25. Workers who earn less than that will receive 80% of their actual earnings. This ensures SSP remains proportionate and that lower earners are not receiving more in sick pay than they would earn working.

Before and After: What Changes Side by Side

What If You Are Already Off Sick Before 6 April 2026?

Those already receiving SSP before 6 April 2026 will be transitionally protected to prevent any reduction in their payments. They will continue to receive the uprated flat rate of £123.25 until they return to work, exhaust their 28-week entitlement, or their contract ends.

Employees who are serving waiting days on 6 April will become entitled to SSP from that date onwards. Those earning below the current LEL who are off sick on or after 6 April will become eligible for SSP under the new rules.

In short: if you are already off sick, the changes will not reduce what you are receiving. If anything, they may start entitling you to payments you were not previously getting.

What Stays the Same

Not everything changes. These elements of SSP remain exactly as they were:

The fit note requirement. For the first seven days of illness, you can self-certify your absence. If you are off for more than seven consecutive days, you still need a fit note from a GP or healthcare professional. This requirement has not changed.

The 28-week maximum. SSP can only be paid for a maximum of 28 weeks in any single period of illness. Once you have exhausted that entitlement, SSP stops. This limit remains unchanged.

The qualifying day rules. SSP is only paid for days you were contracted to work (known as qualifying days). If you do not normally work weekends, you cannot claim SSP for those days.

Reporting to your employer. You still need to follow your employer’s sickness absence notification procedure – typically notifying them by a certain time on your first day of absence. Check your contract or staff handbook for the specific process.

Employer-funded SSP. Unlike some countries, employers in the UK pay SSP themselves. Historically, small employers had a right to recover some SSP from HMRC, but this right ended in April 2014. There is no plan to reintroduce it.

Zero-Hours Contracts and Part-Time Workers: Are You Covered?

Yes – and this is one of the most significant aspects of the April 2026 changes.

Under the previous system, many zero-hours and part-time workers fell below the Lower Earnings Limit and received nothing. From 6 April, that changes entirely. All eligible employees will be entitled to SSP regardless of earnings.

For zero-hours workers specifically, SSP is payable for days on which you were scheduled to work. If you had shifts confirmed and you were too ill to attend, those days are qualifying days. If you had no shifts rostered for a particular week, there are no qualifying days to claim SSP against.

The practical implication is that zero-hours workers with regular patterns of work are now meaningfully protected. Those with highly variable schedules may find entitlement varies week to week, but the earnings threshold that previously excluded so many is gone.

Check our Career Advice articles on UKJobsAlert for more guidance on employment rights and understanding your contract.

The Fair Work Agency: Your New Enforcement Protection

One of the most important changes accompanying the new SSP rules is the creation of the Fair Work Agency (FWA), which launches on 7 April 2026.

The FWA will bring together existing state enforcement functions into a single body. It will be a single place where workers and employers can turn for help, with a unified strategy overseen by one leadership team. The FWA will enforce key employment rights including National Minimum Wage, Statutory Sick Pay, holiday pay, and modern slavery regulations.

The agency will have strong investigative powers, including the ability to carry out workplace inspections and initiate legal proceedings on behalf of workers. They will be able to impose penalties such as requiring employers to pay back arrears within 20 days.

Labour Market Enforcement Orders can also be issued, requiring employers to correct unlawful practices. Breaching such an order may result in fines or imprisonment, and the FWA will have the power to bring employment claims on behalf of workers or support claims already underway.

What this means for you as a worker is significant. Previously, if your employer refused to pay SSP, your main recourse was an Employment Tribunal – a process that is time-consuming, stressful, and intimidating for many people. Now, the FWA can investigate on your behalf, demand repayment from your employer, and even take legal proceedings for you. You do not have to go it alone.

Employers who breach the rules may also be charged for the costs of enforcement action taken by the Fair Work Agency, which would be a major departure from the current system where penalties exist but enforcement costs are not charged to businesses. ukjobsalert

What About Company Sick Pay – Is It Affected?

Many employers offer something called Occupational Sick Pay (OSP), sometimes also called Company Sick Pay. This is a contractual arrangement that is more generous than SSP – often paying full salary for a set number of weeks. If you are lucky enough to have this, the April 2026 changes do not reduce what you receive.

SSP is the legal minimum. Any contractual arrangement that exceeds SSP remains valid and employers are bound by it. What the new rules do is raise the floor – meaning that workers whose employers only pay the statutory minimum will now be better protected.

If your employer currently has a waiting period built into their own sick pay policy (for example, no pay for the first three days of absence), they will need to review this. Employers should review their sickness absence policies and procedures now, ready for the change, and prepare to remove references that will no longer be correct, such as references to waiting days and to the necessity to be earning above the Lower Earnings Limit.  

Check your contract carefully. If it references a waiting period or an earnings threshold that no longer applies in law, that part of the policy cannot override your statutory rights.

Other April 2026 Employment Rights Changes Worth Knowing

The SSP reforms are not the only significant changes coming into force on 6 April 2026. The Employment Rights Act 2025 also introduces:

Day-one paternity leave. From 6 April 2026, employees will have the right to take paternity leave from day one of employment, removing the previous 26-week service requirement.

Day-one unpaid parental leave. The previous requirement for one year of service to access unpaid parental leave for children under 18 is being removed.

New minimum wage rates. The National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over rises to £12.71 per hour, up from £12.21. The National Minimum Wage for those aged 18-20 rises to £10.85 per hour, and for 16-17 year olds and apprentices to £8.00 per hour.

Higher statutory maternity, paternity, and adoption pay. Statutory Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Pay will increase to £194.32 per week, up from £187.18.

Common Mistakes Workers Make About SSP – And How to Avoid Them

Assuming you do not qualify because you earn too little. From 6 April, there is no earnings floor. If you are employed, you are covered.

Not reporting absence correctly. Even under the new rules, you need to follow your employer’s notification procedure. If your contract says you must call in by 9am on your first day of absence, do that. Failing to report absence in the required way can create complications, even if your entitlement exists.

Waiting too long to challenge non-payment. If your employer does not pay you SSP from day one of illness from April 2026 onwards, you can raise a formal grievance and contact the Fair Work Agency. Do not simply accept underpayment as normal.

Confusing SSP with Company Sick Pay. Your employer may pay more than SSP under a contractual arrangement. Check your contract and staff handbook so you know exactly what you are owed, not just the statutory minimum.

Assuming SSP applies to self-employed workers. SSP applies to employees and some workers, but not to genuinely self-employed people. If you are a sole trader or genuinely run your own business, SSP does not apply to you. If you work through an umbrella company or agency, your eligibility depends on your employment status – it is worth checking with your agency directly.

What to Do If Your Employer Does Not Pay You SSP

If you believe your employer is failing to pay you SSP correctly after 6 April 2026, here is what to do:

First, check your payslip carefully. SSP must be reflected in your pay from day one of absence. If it is not, speak to your payroll department or HR contact and ask for clarification in writing.

Second, raise a formal grievance in writing. Put your concern in writing clearly and keep a copy. Reference the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the specific SSP entitlement.

Third, contact the Fair Work Agency. Once the FWA is operational, workers can report non-compliance. The FWA can investigate, require back payment, and in serious cases bring enforcement proceedings. You can also contact ACAS for free guidance on your next steps.

Fourth, consider an Employment Tribunal claim if necessary. If your employer refuses to remedy the situation, you retain the right to bring a tribunal claim. From October 2026, time limits for most employment claims extend from three months to six months, giving you considerably more time to act.

Browse jobs in sectors with strong employee rights protections on UKJobsAlert if you are considering a move to a more secure work environment.

Your Quick-Reference SSP Checklist for April 2026

Use this to make sure you are clear on your entitlements:

• Am I an employee? If yes, you qualify for SSP from 6 April – regardless of earnings.
• Was I off sick before 6 April? Transitional protections apply – check with your payroll department.
• Did I follow my employer’s reporting procedure? If yes, SSP should start from day one.
• Is my employer paying me from day one? If not, raise a formal grievance and contact the FWA.
• Am I on a phased return? You are entitled to SSP for days you cannot yet work.
• Do I have a fit note? Not needed for the first seven days – self-certification covers this period.
• Does my contract offer more than SSP? If yes, your employer is still bound by that contractual arrangement.

Conclusion: A Genuine Step Forward for UK Workers

The April 2026 SSP reforms represent one of the most meaningful expansions of worker protections in a generation. By abolishing waiting days, the Employment Rights Act 2025 aims to ensure that workers can take necessary time off to recover without immediate loss of income, improving public health outcomes and reducing the spread of illness in workplaces.

For the 1.3 million workers who previously earned below the Lower Earnings Limit, this is a completely new level of protection. For everyone else, the removal of the three-day waiting period means short-term illness no longer carries a financial penalty.

The Fair Work Agency’s arrival means these rights also come with real enforcement teeth – not just a piece of legislation that some employers can quietly ignore.

The changes apply from 6 April 2026. Make sure you know your rights.

Set up job alerts on UKJobsAlert to stay informed about roles offering strong employment benefits – including occupational sick pay schemes that go above the statutory minimum.

5. FAQs

Q: When do the new Statutory Sick Pay rules start in the UK? A: The new SSP rules come into force on 6 April 2026, under the Employment Rights Act 2025. From this date, the three-day waiting period is abolished and the Lower Earnings Limit is removed. Absences beginning on or after 6 April will follow the new rules entirely. Absences that started before this date will follow the old rules, with transitional protections in place to ensure no one currently receiving SSP is worse off.

Q: How much is Statutory Sick Pay from April 2026? A: From 6 April 2026, the weekly SSP rate is £123.25 – or 80% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Your average weekly earnings are calculated over the eight-week period before your absence. Most employees who earn above approximately £154 per week will receive the £123.25 flat rate. Those who earn less will receive 80% of their actual weekly earnings.

Q: Who qualifies for SSP from April 2026? A: All employees in the UK qualify for SSP from 6 April 2026, regardless of how much they earn or how many hours they work. The previous Lower Earnings Limit of £125 per week has been abolished. The rules apply UK-wide, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. Self-employed people and genuine sole traders remain outside the scope of SSP.

Q: Do I still need a sick note or fit note under the new rules? A: Yes, partly. For the first seven days of illness, you can self-certify your absence – meaning you do not need a doctor’s note. If your absence continues beyond seven consecutive days, you still need a fit note from a GP or other qualified healthcare professional. This requirement has not changed under the April 2026 reforms.

Q: Does SSP now apply to zero-hours contract workers? A: Yes. Zero-hours contract workers are now covered by SSP regardless of their earnings level. SSP is payable for days on which you were scheduled or contracted to work but were unable to do so due to illness. If no shifts were rostered for a given week, there are no qualifying days to claim against.

Q: What is the Fair Work Agency and how does it help me with SSP? A: The Fair Work Agency (FWA) is a new single enforcement body launching on 7 April 2026. It consolidates several existing enforcement bodies and takes on oversight of SSP, National Minimum Wage, holiday pay, and more. The FWA can carry out workplace inspections, require employers to repay arrears, impose penalties, and even bring employment tribunal claims on behalf of workers. This means if your employer fails to pay SSP correctly, you have a powerful new route to redress without needing to go to a tribunal alone.

Q: What if I was already off sick before 6 April 2026? A: Transitional protections apply. If you were already receiving SSP before 6 April and remain off sick after that date, your payments will continue at the uprated flat rate of £123.25 for the duration of your absence. You will not experience any reduction in SSP as a result of the transition. If you were serving waiting days on 6 April, you will become entitled to SSP from that date onwards.

Q: Can my employer still have their own waiting period in their sick pay policy? A: Not lawfully – not for the statutory minimum. The three-day waiting period is abolished in law from 6 April 2026. Employers cannot use a contractual policy to override your statutory SSP entitlement. If your employer’s sick pay policy still references a waiting period, that provision cannot be used to deny you your legal entitlement to SSP from day one. Employers are being advised to update all sick pay policies before April to remove such references.

Q: Is SSP different in Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? A: No. SSP is a UK-wide statutory entitlement and the April 2026 changes apply equally across all four nations of the United Kingdom. There is no devolved variation in SSP rules.

Q: My employer offers Company Sick Pay – does that change anything? A: If your employer offers Occupational or Company Sick Pay that is more generous than SSP (for example, full salary for a set number of weeks), the new rules do not reduce what you are entitled to. SSP is the legal floor. Any contractual arrangement above that floor remains binding on your employer. The April 2026 changes simply raise the minimum that everyone is guaranteed.