On 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay quietly changed in two ways that hit small employers directly. If your payroll or your sickness policy still assumes the old rules, you are now getting it wrong, and underpaying SSP is exactly the kind of thing the new Fair Work Agency was set up to enforce.
What changed
- SSP is paid from day one of sickness. The three "waiting days" are gone. Previously, SSP only kicked in on the fourth consecutive day of illness; now it starts on the first qualifying day off sick. (Acas guidance on SSP.)
- The lower earnings limit has been removed. Workers no longer need to earn a minimum weekly amount to qualify. Your part time and casual staff, people who may never have qualified before, are now entitled to SSP.
What it means in practice
Short absences now cost you money. Under the old rules, a two day absence usually cost you nothing in SSP. Now every sick day is potentially a paid day. For a café, salon or small office running on tight margins, frequent short absences have gone from an annoyance to a measurable cost.
More of your team qualifies. If you employ students, weekend staff or anyone on a few hours a week, check your payroll settings. They are probably entitled to SSP now, and "our software didn't include them" will not be a defence.
Patterns matter more, so records matter more. When day one absence is paid, the incentive to manage absence properly goes up. That is not about distrusting your team. It is about being able to spot patterns, hold fair conversations, and evidence them if a dispute ever arises.
The two documents that keep this under control
1. A sickness absence policy. Your policy should set out how staff report sickness (who they call, by when), what evidence you need and from what day, and how you handle repeated short term absence. Without a written policy, every decision you make looks improvised, and improvised decisions are the ones tribunals pick apart.
2. Return to work forms. A short, consistent conversation after every absence, recorded on a one page form. It is the single most effective absence management tool there is: it surfaces genuine health issues early, gently discourages absence that is not genuine, and builds the paper trail that protects you if things ever escalate.
Do this week
- Check your payroll is calculating SSP from day one, with no earnings threshold.
- Tell whoever runs your rota that short absences now carry a cost, so cover arrangements matter.
- Put a written sickness policy and return to work routine in place before you need them, not after.
Both documents are in our Growth Bundle: a Sickness Absence Policy and Return to Work Form professionally drafted for small businesses in England and Wales, updated for the Employment Rights Act 2025, and ready to use today. Not sure what else you are missing? The free HR Risk Checklist will tell you in ten minutes.
Guidance for employers in England and Wales, not legal advice. SSP rates change each April; check the current rate on GOV.UK.