It’s late March 2026, and you have less than three weeks to prepare for the biggest employment law changes in decades.
If you’re feeling unprepared, you’re not alone. The Employment Rights Act 2025 represents one of the most significant overhauls to UK employment law in decades, and many businesses are grappling with the scale and complexity of the changes.
Perhaps you’ve been meaning to update your policies and systems but haven’t found the time, or you’ve started but realised just how much work is involved. Or perhaps you’re reading this after these changes have come into effect and you’re wondering what happens now.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what’s changing in April 2026, where businesses are struggling, and most importantly, what practical steps you can take, whether you’re reading this before the deadline or after.
QUICK NAVIGATION
Reading this before April 6th?→ Jump to [If You’re Reading This Before April 6th: Urgent Priorities]
Reading this after April 6th? → Jump to [If You’re Reading This After April 6th: Your Action Plan]
Made a mistake? → Jump to [What If You’ve Already Made a Mistake?]
What’s Actually Changing on April 6th, 2026?
Before we dive into the action plan, it’s worth understanding exactly what’s changing in April and what’s coming later in the year.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces sweeping changes that come into force in stages throughout 2026 and 2027. April marks the first major wave of implementation, but it’s not the only date you need to be aware of.
April 2026: The First Wave
Paternity leave becomes a day-one right: Previously, employees needed 26 weeks of service before they could take paternity leave. From April 6th, employees can give notice of paternity leave from their first day of employment.
Ordinary parental leave becomes a day-one right: Similarly, unpaid parental leave (which previously required one year’s service) becomes available from day one. Parents can now request this leave immediately upon starting employment.
Statutory Sick Pay changes: Two major changes take effect;
- SSP will be paid from the first day of illness, instead of the fourth day (removing the three-day waiting period).
- The lower earnings limit is removed, meaning workers who previously earned too little to qualify for SSP will now be eligible.
Collective redundancy protective award doubles: The maximum protective award for failure to consult in collective redundancy situations increases from 90 days’ pay to 180 days’ pay.
Whistleblowing protections for sexual harassment: Sexual harassment becomes a “qualifying disclosure” under whistleblowing law, providing protection from detriment and unfair dismissal for whistleblowers making such disclosures.
Voluntary menopause and gender pay gap action plans: Employers can begin creating voluntary action plans around menopause and gender pay gaps. These become mandatory in 2027, so early adopters can get ahead of the curve.
October 2026: The Second Wave
Whilst April is your immediate focus, be aware that significant additional changes take effect in October:
- Third-party harassment liability: Employers become liable for harassment from customers or clients unless they’ve taken all reasonable steps to prevent it.
- Enhanced sexual harassment prevention duty: The standard moves from “reasonable steps” to “all reasonable steps”.
- Tipping law changes: New requirements around tipping policies and consultation.
- Employment tribunal time limits increase: Claims can be brought within six months instead of three.
- Further trade union changes: including a duty to inform workers of their right to join a union.
January 1, 2027: The Big One
The changes that will have the most dramatic impact on day-to-day HR management don’t come into force until January 2027:
- Unfair dismissal protection after six months (not day one, as originally proposed, but still a significant reduction from the current two-year qualifying period).
- Fire and rehire becomes automatically unfair in most cases.
- Compensatory award limit for unfair dismissal removed.
2027 (Dates TBC): The Final Wave
Further changes with unspecified 2027 implementation dates include:
- Zero-hours contract guaranteed hours rights.
- Shift cancellation compensation.
- Flexible working explanation requirements.
- Statutory bereavement leave.
- Enhanced pregnancy and maternity protections.
- Mandatory menopause and gender pay gap action plans.
Why April Matters Now
So if the biggest changes don’t happen until 2027, why the focus on April?
April’s changes will likely affect your payroll systems, your day-to-day absence management, your approach to parental leave, and your redundancy procedures. All of this will require policy changes and training that can’t be done overnight.
Furthermore, if you’re planning any redundancies, the increased protective award makes getting consultation right a priority.
Getting April right sets you up for success with the October and January changes. Businesses that treat compliance as a continuous process rather than a series of last-minute panics are far better positioned for future success.
If you need detailed information about all the changes, Acas has published comprehensive guidance on the Employment Rights Act 2025.
Where Businesses Are Struggling Right Now
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re in good company. Across the UK, businesses of all sizes are finding this transition challenging. Here are the most common pressure points we’re seeing:
Payroll system updates: Updating payroll systems to reflect the SSP changes isn’t always straightforward, particularly for businesses using older systems or third-party payroll providers.
Policy rewrites: Sickness absence policies, parental leave policies, and whistleblowing policies all need updating to reflect the April changes. Writing clear, legally compliant policies takes time and expertise that many small businesses simply don’t have in-house.
Manager training: Line managers need to understand the new parental leave rights and SSP entitlements. Many businesses haven’t yet delivered this training, which means managers may inadvertently give incorrect information to employees.
Resource constraints: Small and medium-sized businesses often don’t have dedicated HR teams. The business owner or office manager is juggling compliance alongside everything else, and there aren’t enough hours in the day.Communication gaps: Many businesses haven’t yet communicated the changes to their workforce. Employees may not know about their enhanced rights to paternity and parental leave from day one, which could lead to confusion and frustration.
If You’re Reading This Before April 6th: Urgent Priorities
Priority 1: Risk Assessment
Before you can fix your compliance gaps, you need to know where they are.
Identify your biggest vulnerabilities by asking:
- Have you confirmed with your payroll provider that SSP changes are being implemented from April 6th? (If not, chase this immediately).
- How many employees do you have in their first weeks of employment who might request paternity or parental leave? (These are your highest risk for incorrectly denying leave).
- Are you planning any redundancies?
- Do you have employees who currently don’t qualify for SSP due to low earnings? (They’ll be eligible from April 6th and need to know this)
- Have you reviewed your whistleblowing policy to include sexual harassment as a qualifying disclosure?
Quick Wins and Critical Updates
Once you’ve identified where the biggest compliance risks are for your business, focus on making changes to mitigate them.
SSP changes
- Confirm with your payroll provider that the three-day waiting period and lower earnings limit are being removed from April 6th. Don’t assume this is happening—get written confirmation.
- If you run payroll in-house, update your systems now and test them before the first April payment run.
- Update your sickness absence policy to reflect that SSP is payable from day one of illness with no earnings threshold.
Brief managers and employees on the changes. Employees who previously didn’t qualify for SSP need to know they’re now eligible.
Parental leave rights
- Update your paternity leave policy to reflect that employees can request leave from day one of employment (removing the 26-week qualifying period).
- Update your parental leave policy to reflect that the one-year qualifying period no longer applies.
- Brief all managers: They need to know that new starters can now request these types of leave immediately. Refusing on the basis of length of service is now unlawful.
- Update any employee handbooks or onboarding materials to reflect the new rights.
Redundancy consultation
- Review your redundancy consultation process urgently. The protective award for getting it wrong has doubled.
- Document your consultation thoroughly: With penalties twice as high, ensuring you can demonstrate proper consultation is more important than ever.
- Consider timing carefully: If you’re in the early stages of planning redundancies, think about whether starting consultation before April (under the old protective award level) or after (when you’re fully prepared for the new rules) makes more sense for your specific situation.
Whistleblowing policy
This is a lower immediate risk but quick to fix.
- Update your whistleblowing policy to include sexual harassment as a qualifying disclosure.
- Brief managers that employees who raise sexual harassment concerns are now protected whistleblowers and must not be subjected to any detriment.
If You’re Reading This After April 6th: Your Action Plan
The deadline has passed, but you’re not out of options. Here’s how to minimise risk and get compliant as quickly as possible.
Your priority in the immediate aftermath should be stopping any high-risk actions whilst you assess your position.
Immediate checks on payroll:
- Verify urgently whether your April payroll applied the new SSP rules. If it didn’t, you’ve potentially underpaid multiple employees and need to calculate and pay arrears immediately.
- Contact your payroll provider immediately if changes weren’t implemented.
- Check whether any employees who were previously ineligible for SSP have been off sick since April 6th. If they have, and they haven’t been paid SSP, you need to correct this immediately.
Immediate review of parental leave requests:
- Check whether any new starters have requested paternity or parental leave since April 6th. If they’ve been refused on the basis that they haven’t been there long enough, you need to reverse that decision immediately.
Rapid assessment:
Ask yourself: where are you most exposed right now?
- Have you made any SSP payments since April 6th using the old rules?
- Have you denied any parental leave requests from new starters?
- Are you in the middle of a collective redundancy consultation? (If so, ensure you’re applying the new 180-day protective award level in your risk assessment)
Internal communication:
- Brief payroll and HR teams immediately: They need to know the rules have changed and what needs to happen to correct any errors.
- Brief managers: They need to know not to deny parental leave requests from new starters or give employees incorrect information about SSP eligibility.
Once you’ve dealt with the immediate compliance gaps, move from crisis mode to sustainable systems.
Comprehensive policy updates: Ensure all your employment policies reflect the April changes, not just the ones you’ve patched urgently.
Manager training: Deliver proper training on all the April changes, not just emergency briefings. Managers need to understand not just what’s changed, but why, and how to apply the new rules in practice.
Employee communications: Now that you’ve fixed the immediate problems, communicate the changes to your workforce properly. They have enhanced rights and deserve to know about them.
System checks: Verify that all your HR and payroll systems are correctly configured for the new rules. Don’t assume—check.
Planning for October and beyond: With April sorted, turn your attention to the October 2026 changes. Starting preparation now means you won’t be in this position again in six months.Document your compliance journey: Keep records of when you identified gaps, when you fixed them, and what actions you took. If a tribunal claim arises from the immediate post-April 6th period, being able to show you acted quickly when you realised the issue significantly helps your defence.
What If You’ve Already Made a Mistake?
If you’ve got something wrong in the first few days after April 6th, early intervention is key.
- If you’ve underpaid SSP, calculate arrears and pay them immediately. Apologise to affected employees and explain what went wrong and how you’ve fixed it.
- If you’ve denied parental leave incorrectly, reverse the decision immediately, apologise, and approve the leave.
- If an employee raises a grievance about the error, handle it seriously and swiftly. Early resolution of grievances prevents tribunal claims.
Don’t bury your head in the sand. The sooner you address an issue, the more options you have to resolve it.
Common Mistakes Businesses Are Making Right Now
As we help businesses navigate these changes, we’re seeing the same mistakes repeatedly. Learning from others’ errors can save you considerable time and expense.
Mistake #1: Relying on Generic Online Templates
Free policy templates from websites can seem like a quick fix, but they’re rarely tailored to your specific business, industry, or workforce.
More importantly, generic templates may not have been updated to reflect the upcoming changes.
Your business is unique, and your policies should reflect both the current law and your specific circumstances.
Mistake #2: Undertrained Managers Making Decisions
Line managers are your first line of compliance. They’re the ones responding to sick leave requests, fielding questions about parental leave, and making day-to-day decisions.
If they don’t understand the upcoming employment law changes, they may make mistakes, and you, as the employer, will face the tribunal claims and compensation awards that result.
Manager training is essential for risk management.
Mistake #3: Inconsistent Application
Applying rules inconsistently creates risk. If you correctly apply the new SSP rules to some employees but not others, you’re opening yourself to potential discrimination claims as well as unlawful deduction of wages claims.
Ensure your processes are applied consistently across the business. If you’re updating policies and systems, make sure everyone gets the benefit of the updates.
Mistake #4: Not Documenting Decision-Making
Particularly for collective redundancy situations, documentation is critical. With the protective award doubled, you need to be able to demonstrate that you consulted properly, considered all representations, and made decisions for legitimate business reasons.
Contemporary notes made during the consultation process are far more persuasive than explanations constructed months later when facing a tribunal claim.
When to Seek Legal Guidance
You don’t need a solicitor for every decision, but there are situations where legal advice is essential.
You Should Particularly Consider Legal Advice If:
- You’re planning collective redundancies and want to ensure your consultation process is robust enough to withstand the higher protective award risk.
- You’re unsure how the parental leave changes affect your specific business (for instance, if you have complicated shift patterns or overseas workers).
- You’ve identified compliance gaps after April 6th and need help calculating arrears or correcting errors.
- You have pending or threatened tribunal claims related to the April changes.
- You don’t have in-house HR expertise and are managing compliance yourself without employment law knowledge.
- You want to review your employment documentation and processes comprehensively to ensure they’re ready.
What Legal Support Can Provide
Clarity: Employment law is vast and often ambiguous. Good legal advice cuts through this complexity and tells you exactly what you need to do.
Priority guidance: With limited time and resources, you need to focus on what matters most for your business. Legal advice helps you prioritise effectively.
Documentation: Solicitors can update your policies and procedures properly, ensuring they’re legally compliant and clearly drafted.
Training: Legal advisers can deliver practical training to your managers, equipping them with the knowledge they need to make good decisions day-to-day.
Risk assessment: A fresh pair of expert eyes can identify vulnerabilities you haven’t spotted and help you address them before they become problems.
Damage limitation: If you’ve already made errors, legal advice helps you manage them as cost-effectively as possible.
Early advice is almost always cheaper than late advice. A £1,500 investment in getting your policies and payroll right now could save you thousands more in tribunal costs and arrears later.
Moving Forward with Confidence
The April employment law changes are genuinely challenging for businesses of all sizes. However, being behind on preparation now doesn’t mean you can’t catch up.
Action beats inaction every time.
Whether you’re reading this before April 6th and frantically trying to prepare, or after April 6th and trying to catch up, the important thing is to start now.
Remember, too, that April is just the first wave. October brings further significant changes (third-party harassment liability, enhanced sexual harassment prevention duties, increased tribunal time limits), and January 2027 brings the really big ones (six-month unfair dismissal protection, fire and rehire restrictions).
Treating compliance as a continuous process rather than a series of last-minute panics will serve you well. Get April right, then turn your attention to October. Get October right, then prepare for January 2027.
Compliance isn’t just about avoiding employment tribunals, though that’s certainly part of it. It’s about running a better business with engaged employees, confident managers, and fair processes that everyone understands and respects. It’s about being the kind of employer that good people want to work for and stay with.
Take the first step today: assess your risks, prioritise your actions, and seek help if you need it.
Get Expert Employment Law Support
It’s also important to know that you don’t have to handle this alone.
Tann Law’s employment law team can help you:
✓ Assess your compliance gaps and prioritise urgent actions.
✓ Update your policies and procedures to reflect the new law.
✓ Ensure your payroll systems are correctly configured.
✓ Train your management team on the changes that affect them.
✓ Handle any disputes or tribunal claims that arise.
✓ Prepare for the October 2026 and January 2027 changes.
Contact Tann Law Solicitors today:
Tel: 0247 763 2323
Email: info@tannlaw.co.uk
Or visit our employment law services page to learn more about how we support businesses with HR and employment law compliance, or explore our regulatory requirements services for broader corporate compliance support.