Written by Heidi Wadsworth | 21st April 2026
Changes to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) have now come into force, and while they may have looked like a minor legislative change on paper, they’re already reshaping how businesses handle absences.
With the removal of waiting days and changes to eligibility, the way absence is taken, paid, and managed across the workforce has shifted. For all businesses, now is the time to check your policies, review processes, and make sure managers feel confident working within the new rules.
What has changed for SSP
As of April 2026, two major changes to SSP under the Employment Rights Act 2025 are now in force across the UK.
The first is that SSP is now payable from day one of sickness absence. The previous system, which required employees to be absent for three ‘qualifying days’ before receiving payment, has now been removed. In short, even very short periods of sickness absence now trigger SSP.
Qualifying days are days when someone would usually be required to work, for example Monday to Friday. Before the law changed, the first three qualifying days were called waiting days.
The second change is the removal of the lower earnings limit. Employees no longer need to meet the minimum threshold of £125 per week (before tax) to qualify, which means all employees, regardless of pay level or working pattern, are now entitled to SSP.
GOV.UK guidance says the law change was designed to create a fairer and more consistent system of sick pay, particularly improving access for lower-paid and part-time workers who were previously excluded. Around 1.2million workers who previously did not qualify will now receive SPP according to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
What the new SSP rules mean in practice
Now that these changes are here, it’s worth thinking about what we’re likely to see play out as people get used to the new rules.
We expect there may be a rise in employees claiming SSP. With the three-day qualifying period gone, one to three day absences are now covered, so it’s likely that more of them may be taken and claimed under SSP.
Alongside that, if employees know they won’t lose pay for being off sick for a day or two, you may notice more frequent shorter periods of sickness absence rather than longer blocks of absence.
People on lower pay or part-time hours who previously fell under the earnings threshold are now eligible for SSP. That means more employees sitting within the SSP system, which does make structured absence management more important than ever before.
It might be written in your employment contracts that employees get more than statutory sick pay, often called contractual or company sick pay. If you offer this, for example half pay for any period, you need to make sure that no one ends up receiving less than the statutory SSP rate. This is important to keep everything compliant and fair.
Why this is a good time to review your approach
While you may have an absence policy in place, these changes should prompt you to think about whether it is being applied consistently – regardless of whether you offer SSP only or contractual sick pay.
Are return-to-work conversations happening every time someone is off? Are patterns of short-term absence being picked up early enough? And are managers confident applying the same approach across different teams?
Without that consistency, absence management can quickly become reactive – you’re dealing with each case individually rather than following a proper framework or process and that can lead to mixed messages, uncertainty for managers, and frustration for employees if things don’t feel fair.
When it works well, though, a clear approach to absence gives managers a framework to work within, helps them have better conversations, and supports early intervention where needed. It also means employees understand what’s expected, which helps avoid issues building over time.
What you should be doing now
Now that SSP changes are in play, the first step is to make sure your sickness absence policy, staff handbook, and employment contracts reflect the updated rules.
That includes removing any references to waiting days and making sure the lower earnings limit is no longer included. If you’re not sure whether everything is up to date, this is something we can review with you, free of charge.
Get a free policy & handbook review
It’s also worth taking a step back and looking at how absence is managed day to day. Managers need to have training to have early, supportive conversations about absence, and know when to intervene. Without that, even the best-written policies can fall short in practice.
This is a good opportunity to introduce or refresh an absence management process. That includes consistent return-to-work interviews, agreed points where managers should step in and review patterns of absence, and shared expectations across the business.
Explore our absence management toolkit
How we can support you
If you missed our recent webinar on employment law updates, including the SSP changes, you can watch the recording here.
As mentioned above, we also offer a free policy and handbook review service, which is a simple way to check whether your sickness documentation is fully aligned with the current SSP rules and working as it should in practice.
For businesses looking to strengthen their approach further, our absence management toolkit provides a practical, tailored framework to help manage absence consistently and fairly across teams. We also deliver absence management training for line managers, focusing on how to manage short-term and frequent absence with confidence, how to handle return-to-work conversations effectively, and how to apply absence policies consistently across the business.
If you have any questions about the new SSP rules, please contact our team on 01256 328 428 or email info@realityhr.co.uk
About the author: Heidi Wadsworth, Head of Learning & Development | New Business Lead
Heidi takes a hands-on, pragmatic approach to learning and development and new business , working directly with clients to understand their unique challenges, culture, and environment. She combines her extensive cross sector experience in hospitality, retail, and manufacturing with a practical understanding of what works in real workplace situations.
Heidi’s strength lies in her ability to see the bigger picture while managing the practical details. She ensures every training programme empowers delegates to achieve excellence in their roles, creating lasting change that benefits both individuals and the organisation.