New minimum wage and sick leave rules for the UK

From April 2026, a number of new pay rules will come into effect for UK workers. These include changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), maternity pay, and the national minimum wage, explain legal experts at Addleshaw Goddard.

Below are some of the key dates and changes that both workers and HR professionals should be aware of:

From 6 April 2026 the three-day waiting period and the lower earnings limit for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be removed. Under the new system, employees on low wages who are unable to work due to sickness will either receive 80% of their normal weekly earnings or the current rate of SSP (£118.75 from April 2025), whichever is lower.

Separately, following recommendations from the Low Pay Commission, new minimum wage rates will be implemented from 6 April 2026:

National Living Wage (aged 21+) will be £12.71 per hour (up from £12.21)
National Minimum Wage (aged 18 – 20) will be £10.85 per hour (up from £10.00)
National Minimum Wage (aged 16 -17 and apprentices) will be £8.00 per hour (up from £7.55)

Statutory Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Pay will increase to £194.32 per week (up from £187.18).

Addleshaw Goddard notes that businesses and HR teams will need to prepare for the changes in a number of ways, notably by updating payroll systems for new minimum wage/statutory rates.

The group also warned that businesses will need to ensure compliance with the new measures for SSP and for statutory payments and National Minimum Wage (NMW) as the Fair Work Agency will have new powers to enforce non-payment or incorrect payment of any statutory payment, including SSP and NMW.