Check Your Payslip: Sick Pay Rules Changed and Many Haven't Noticed

Since 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay works differently — yet plenty of employees don't realise their entitlement has changed, and plenty of small employers haven't fully updated their payroll processes either. Here's what to check on your next payslip.

What changed

Two big shifts took effect: SSP is now payable from the very first day of sickness absence, rather than after a three-day waiting period, and the Lower Earnings Limit has been scrapped, meaning all eligible employees qualify regardless of how little they earn. Previously, low earners below the Lower Earnings Limit got nothing at all.

The rate itself is £123.25 per week, or 80% of average weekly earnings — whichever is lower. That 80% rule is new: it means very low earners now get a proportion of their actual pay rather than being locked out or overpaid relative to earnings.

These reforms sit within the wider Employment Rights Act 2025, and the government estimates the changes will add around £450 million a year to employer sick pay costs nationally — money that should be reaching employees who were previously falling through the gaps.

Checklist: is your payslip right?

• Find the SSP line on your most recent payslip covering a sickness absence since 6 April 2026
• Confirm you were paid from day one of absence, not after three "waiting days"
• If you earn below the old Lower Earnings Limit (roughly £125/week), check you're still receiving SSP — you're now entitled even if you weren't before
• Work out 80% of your average weekly earnings and compare it with £123.25 — you should receive whichever figure is lower
• If your payslip doesn't reflect these changes, raise it with HR or payroll — some smaller employers are still catching up
• From April 2026, employers must also keep holiday pay and annual leave records for at least six years — worth knowing if you ever need to query historic entitlement

What to do if something looks wrong

From 7 April 2026, the new Fair Work Agency began operating as the UK's dedicated enforcement body for employment rights, with powers to investigate employers and issue penalties. If your employer refuses to pay correctly, you now have a clearer route to escalate beyond just raising a grievance internally.

International comparison

The UK's day-one, near-universal SSP model is still less generous than statutory sick pay schemes in much of the EU, where many countries fund sick pay through social insurance at higher percentages of salary from day one. The US has no federal statutory sick pay requirement at all, leaving it to individual states and employers.

Key Numbers

• £123.25 — weekly SSP rate for 2026/27, or 80% of average earnings if lower
• 6 April 2026 — date day-one SSP and removal of the earnings limit took effect
• £450 million — estimated added annual cost to employers
• 7 April 2026 — Fair Work Agency became operational

Sources

• Acas: Statutory sick pay changes 2026
• GOV.UK: Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027
• Business.gov.uk: Statutory Sick Pay changes

Educational content only — not financial advice.