Articles and information in relation to UK Payroll for business, employers and employees.
The DWP and DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate have updated form SSP1 on 12th October 2026 with an added reason for use by employers for non-payment of SSP. This relates to the changes introduced from 6th April 2026 where waiting days and earnings tests were removed. The form has been adjusted to include an … Continue reading SSP1 form updates – zero average earnings exclusion
Patients, employers and GPs are set to benefit from an overhaul of the fit note system following the launch of several pilots by the Government to reform the system for workers who fall ill. Radical overhaul of broken fit note system to be piloted so it works for patients, employers, and healthcare professionals. Trials to be delivered through selected NHS … Continue reading Fit note system to be overhauled
HMRC publishes the Employer Bulletin 6 times a year, giving employers and agents the latest information on topics and issues that may affect them. Some of these topics have already been covered by PAYadvice.UK in articles and blogs and further articles and blogs may now additionally be published. The April 2026 edition of Employer Bulletin … Continue reading Employer Bulletin: April 2026
Hundreds of thousands of sick or disabled people will be offered voluntary help towards employment as part of a package of measures coming into force 6th April 2026 that will encourage work and save taxpayers around £1 billion. Incentives that discourage work and trap people on benefits to be removed via legislation coming into force 6th … Continue reading Thousands to be supported into work with reforms to welfare system
Here it is again, the start of a New Tax Year. Often when meeting with payroll and tax professionals from overseas, they wonder why the United Kingdom tax year commences on 6th April annually. Why is that when so many countries around the world celebrate both the new year and the tax year on 1st … Continue reading Happy New (Tax) Year 2026
Britain faces an urgent economic inactivity crisis driven in large part by ill-health and the barriers to work faced by disabled people. Over 1 in 5 working-age adults (2.8 million)are out of work and not looking for work and the most common cause is long-term health issues. The disability employment rate is 52.8%, 29.5% below … Continue reading Keep Britain Working – an update
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) changes on 6th April 2026 as a result of the Employment Rights Act. More employees will now qualify for Sick Pay SSP as a result of: The Period of Incapacity for Work (PIW) being reduced from 4 calendar days to 1 The number of initial Qualifying Days (QD) which act as … Continue reading SSP Qualifying Days – April 2026 no change
With new Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rules applying from 6th April 2026, the DWP have updated form SSP1 for use when an employer is not or will stop paying SSP. From 6th April 2026, new changes come into play for SSP: Period of Incapacity for Work (PIW) is reduced to 1 calendar day (previously 4) … Continue reading SSP1 form readied for April 2026 changes
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has provided an update to their transitional protection guidance (version 3) via the HMRC Software Developers Support Team. The update is regarding Statutory Sick Pay Transitional Protections for the Employment Rights Act measures coming in from April 2026. “Following final review of Government issued information ahead of implementation, … Continue reading Statutory Sick Pay transitional guidance further updates (v3)
The February edition of the HMRC Employers Bulletin out lines the changes to Statutory Sick Pay which applies from 6th April 2026 and forms one of the measures from the Employment Right Act 2025. PAYadvice.UK has published a series of articles and resource pages (see below links) on the changes which are to soon come … Continue reading Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) changes — what employers need to know
Monday 9th February 2026, the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) have further clarified added areas of transitional arrangements with the new SSP rules that commence from 6th April 2026. The DWP issues a further update to the transitional guidance on Tuesday 10th March 2026 Prior guidance has been confirmed: Calculating 80% average weekly earnings … Continue reading Added Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) transitional guidance
New day one rights to parental leave set to enter force from April 2026. Over 18 million workers across the UK are expected to benefit from stronger protections at work, with most insecure workers set to gain the most. New day one rights from April 2026 confirmed for parental leave, whilst bereaved partners set to gain further rights to paternity leave. Changes are claimed … Continue reading Stronger working rights to give millions of families the “security they deserve”
Following the passing of the Employment Rights Bill and the Royal Ascent of the Employment Rights Act on Thursday 18th December 2025, one of the major changes are the new rights to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from Monday 6th April 2026 (Easter Monday). The Statutory Sick Pay measures include: Removing the Lower Earnings Limit to … Continue reading New Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) – what is the 80% rate?
Following the passing of the Employment Rights Bill and the Royal Ascent of the Employment Rights Act on Thursday 18th December 2025, one of the major changes are the new rights to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from Monday 6th April 2026 (Easter Monday). The Statutory Sick Pay measures include: Removing the Lower Earnings Limit to … Continue reading New Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Transitional Protection April 2026
The government are progressing the Employment Rights Bill through Parliament. Although some elements are being ping ponged between the commons and the Lords, a number of measures are agreed. One such measure is the change to Statutory Sick Pay from 6th April 2026. Statutory Sick Pay Reform As part of a number of initiatives to … Continue reading Day 1 sick pay for all going ahead
60 major and many small employers are joining forces with government to tackle the rising tide of ill-health that is pushing people out of work Employers join forces with government to tackle ill-health and keep Britain working Employers and mayoral authorities back plans to support employees to keep people healthy and in work. A three-year partnership, led … Continue reading Tackling ill-health and keep Britain working
Over 40,000 more sick or disabled people will receive intensive employment support to move into secure, fulfilling work and out of poverty, thanks to a £167.2 million boost to the Connect to Work programme. Nine further areas across England to benefit from a £167 million investment in Connect to Work – the programme that refuses … Continue reading Job advisers to be embedded in GP surgeries as tens of thousands more sick and disabled people offered help into work
Matthew Taylor to lead Government's new Fair Work Agency from April 2026. Taylor Review author Matthew Taylor appointed as first Fair Work Agency chair to support the government’s mission to kickstart economic growth. New agency to transform labour market enforcement, protecting workers from bad employers who flout minimum wage and other labour laws, levelling the … Continue reading FWA chair appointed to crack down on minimum wage underpayment and worker exploitation
Specialist Jobcentre staff redeployed to give skills and employment support to tens of thousands of people with no requirement to look for work. Every Jobcentre in England, Wales, and Scotland now covered with Pathways to Work advisers, who aim to support 65,000 people this financial year. Advisers will give people the skills they need to … Continue reading Ramped up job support for people on sickness benefits
Speech delivered by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at the Trades Union Congress annual conference in Brighton, 2025 Thank you, Congress, for that warm welcome. What a joy it is to be back here in Brighton. And back here with the TUC. Thank you to Mark, and to Paul, and to the whole team, and thank … Continue reading Bridget Phillipson speech to TUC conference, 2025
A new pilot programme will support people with health conditions back into employment and ease pressure on doctors. Fifteen pioneering regions to trial groundbreaking approach to reduce GP pressure and help local people back to work Pilot scheme to transform how fit notes are issued Part of Plan for Change to grow the economy, get … Continue reading GP practices to help people back to work
The Plan to Make Work Pay is intended to tackle poor pay, poor working conditions and poor job security so that people across the country feel the benefits. Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay is a key component of this reform, ensuring that the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it the … Continue reading SSP changes confirmed for 6th April 2026
Dear PAYadvice.UK HMRC have issued the June 2025 edition of the Employer Bulletin which brings the latest HMRC updates and guidance to support employers, payroll professionals and agents. The June edition of Employer Bulletin includes articles on: PAYE Settlement Agreement calculations 2024 to 2025 organised labour fraud — the supply of labour through Employment Intermediaries mandating the … Continue reading June 2025 Employer Bulletin
A number of articles published via a news agencies and news outlets have implied that there were significant changes to the UK statutory sickness scheme from April 2025. However, this is not the case. Period of Incapacity to Work (PIW) Under current rules which continue, only periods of sickness lasting 4 or more calendar days … Continue reading Has Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) changed?
take these simple steps to ensure children make the healthiest start to the New Year The UK Health Security Agency is reminding parents and carers of the simple steps they can take to ensure their children make the healthiest start to the new school term. The new year brings with it an opportunity to teach … Continue reading Parents and carers urged to help children start New Year healthy
According to the government, business and working people deserve a secure, supportive working environment that will in turn boost growth and productivity. The government state it is committed to fair work, in which good employers and good employees thrive. The Plan to Make Work Pay is to support more people to stay in work, make … Continue reading Statutory Sick Pay consultation
In a major speech Friday 19th April 2024, the Prime Minister unveiled a package of welfare reform measures to tackle what is seen as an unprecedented rise in economic inactivity and ensure the benefits system is better targeted at those who need it most. PM to announce plans to overhaul benefits system to ensure people … Continue reading Britain’s “sick note culture” to be tackled
Reforms to occupational health services will be shaped through a £1.5m innovation fund, as the government continues its drive to tackle in work sickness and boost economic activity using new technology and artificial intelligence. Five projects to share £1.5 million funding to boost occupational health services for small and medium-sized businesses. Artificial intelligence and new … Continue reading AI to help keep people in work
New Back to Work Plan to help up to 1,100,000 people with long-term health conditions, disabilities or long-term unemployment to look for and stay in work. Additional support comes alongside tougher sanctions for people who don’t look for work, as part of the next generation of welfare reforms. Includes exploring reforms of the fit note … Continue reading Employment support launched -Back to Work
A third of key workers (33%) say they do not get full sick payA quarter of key workers (24%) say they get only £96pw statutory sick payExtending sick pay protection to all workers would cost the same as just 1% of the test and trace budget Analysis published by the TUC shows that one in … Continue reading One in 12 key workers do not qualify for statutory sick pay