In this episode 261 of the employment law and HR podcast, I bring you all the details about the changes with the rules about payment of statutory sick pay which come into effect from the 6th April 2026.

In this episode we cover:

• The current rules about the payment for employees who are off sick.
• The cost to employers of statutory sick pay (SSP).
• Why many employers will be unaware of the change and impact.
• The types of business or organisation that will be most impacted by the change.
• Why having robust systems in place for the management of sickness absence is more important than ever.
• Why qualifying days of employment are important.
• How much you have to pay if someone is absent for 1 or 2 days out of their working week.
• The weekly flat rate of SSP from 6th April 2026 will be £123.25.

Key takeaway:

Employers need to start taking action now to understand the additional cost and to factor this in to costs planning for the new financial year.

Employers also need to proactively manage short term sickness absence.

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