The April 2026 checklist for employers (and what to do now)
April is always a busy month for employers and April 2026 brings a mix of pay rate changes plus some new worker rights that will affect policies, payroll, manager conversations and cost planning.
Our blog isn’t here to overwhelm you with legal jargon. It’s here to help you spot what matters, what actions to take and where businesses typically get caught out.
1) National Minimum Wage is increasing from 1 April 2026
From 1 April 2026, the UK minimum wage rates increase, including the National Living Wage (21+). This is a big one for budgets, pay structures, overtime and salary compression (where supervisors end up too close to new starter rates).
What to do now:
Review pay across the business (not just your lowest-paid roles). Check part-time hourly calculations, overtime rates, sleep-in arrangements (if relevant), and any salary deductions that could accidentally take someone below the hourly minimum.
2) Statutory pay rates are rising (SSP, SMP, SPP and more)
Statutory payments typically uplift in April. For 2026/27, updated weekly rates have been confirmed/communicated for statutory payments including SSP and family-related statutory pay.
What to do now:
Make sure your payroll provider/software is ready, and that managers understand the basics (especially if they are the first line of questions from employees).
3) Statutory Sick Pay reforms: more people qualify, and the waiting days go
One of the most practical changes employers will feel is to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). From April 2026, government guidance sets out that more employees will qualify, with no earnings threshold and no three-day waiting period.
Why this matters:
If your current absence approach assumes “SSP starts after X days” or that low earners won’t qualify, you’ll need to update your approach and your manager guidance.
What to do now:
Review your absence policy, return-to-work process, and record keeping. This is also a good moment to sense-check how you handle short-term intermittent absence versus long-term ill health – because the risks (and the employee relations impact) are different.
4) Day-one rights for some family leave are changing
From April 2026, employees become entitled to Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave from day one in a new job (rather than needing qualifying service).
What to do now:
Update family leave policy wording, ensure your contracts/handbook reflect the change, and brief managers so they don’t accidentally give incorrect eligibility information (this is one of the fastest ways to create employee relations issues).
5) Collective redundancy risk: higher stakes for getting the process wrong
If your business may be restructuring in 2026, note that government guidance highlights changes around collective redundancy protections, including an increase to the protective award for non-compliance from April 2026.
What to do now:
If redundancies are even a “maybe”, don’t wait until the pressure is on. Get advice early on thresholds, consultation timelines, scoring, communications, and documentation.
6) Don’t forget the payroll/employment tax changes that hit at the same time
Even where something isn’t strictly “employment law”, it still affects employers operationally and April is where lots of changes land together. For example, there are changes from 6 April 2026 affecting employees claiming tax deductions for additional homeworking costs (unless reimbursed by the employer).
What to do now:
Be ready for questions. If you reimburse homeworking expenses, sense-check how you do it and how it’s communicated.
How Haus of HR can help (and where to start)
At Haus of HR, we help SMEs stay compliant without drowning in complexity. For April 2026, support typically includes:
- Updating handbooks and policies (absence/SSP, family leave, pay and payroll notes)
- Manager briefings and “what to say” guidance (so messages are consistent and legally safe)
- Cost and risk planning (especially where pay changes create compression)
- Restructure/redundancy planning where relevant
If you want a simple first step, start with a review.