UK: Employment Rights Act 2025: Implementation Update

Authors: Robert Hill and Charlotte Stern 

The next tranche of the Employment Rights Act is due to come into force on 6 April 2026, with fuller details here, we’ve set out a reminder of the new day-1 and absence related rights:

• Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) SSP will be payable from the first day of absence and available to all eligible employees regardless of their earnings
• ‘Day 1’ Paternity Leave and unpaid Parental Leave: allowing employees to take these forms of leave from day one of employment
• Bereaved Partners Paternity Leave: a right for bereaved fathers and partners to take up to 52 weeks of paternity leave where the mother/ primary adopter dies within the first year of the child’s life from day one of employment.

Practical point

Make sure absence policies are updated and that HR operations and payroll teams are prepared to make SSP payments from the first day of any sickness absence.  Absence management procedures may need to be tightened up and HR and managers should work together to plan coverage for more employees taking paternity and parental leave.