For years, getting sick early in a new job or on a low income meant one thing in the UK: you were largely on your own financially. Statutory sick pay didn’t start until your fourth day off, and if you earned below a certain threshold, you weren’t entitled to a penny of it. That’s no longer the case. Since 6 April 2026, statutory sick pay day-one rights are now the law, and it’s one of the most concrete, immediately useful changes to land from the wider Employment Rights Act reforms. If you’ve heard the headline but aren’t sure what it actually means for your next payslip, here’s the full picture.
What Changed on 6 April 2026
Two separate rules were rewritten at the same time, and it’s worth understanding both because they solve different problems.
No More Waiting Days
Under the old system, Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) only became payable from your fourth consecutive day of sickness. The first three were unpaid “waiting days,” which meant a short illness of a day or two often cost you money with no compensation at all. That rule has been scrapped. SSP is now payable from your very first qualifying day off sick, which is what people mean when they talk about “day-one” sick pay entitlement.
The Lower Earnings Limit Removed
The second change is arguably the bigger one for lower-paid workers. Previously, you needed to earn at least £125 a week on average to qualify for SSP at all. Fall below that, and you had no statutory sick pay entitlement whatsoever, regardless of how long you’d worked for your employer. From 6 April 2026, that earnings threshold has been removed entirely. This is the change people mean when they refer to the lower earnings limit removed: every employee, regardless of how much they earn, now has some level of SSP entitlement if they meet the other conditions.
SSP Eligibility: Who Actually Qualifies Now
With the earnings threshold gone, SSP eligibility has genuinely widened, but it isn’t unconditional. To qualify, you still need to:
Be classed as an employee and have started work for your employer. Be unable to work due to illness for at least four consecutive days, including non-working days, which counts as a “period of incapacity for work.” Follow your employer’s notification rules for reporting sickness, such as informing them by a set deadline or providing evidence for longer absences.
What’s different is that low earners who were previously excluded outright are now inside the system, and the qualifying period that used to delay payment for everyone else has been abolished. In practice, this means a much larger share of the UK workforce, particularly part-time staff, casual workers, and anyone on lower hourly rates, now has a genuine safety net when illness strikes.
How Much Is Statutory Sick Pay in 2026/27?
The way SSP is calculated has also changed, not just when it starts. For the 2026/27 tax year, SSP is paid at whichever is lower: the flat statutory rate of £123.25 per week, or 80% of your average weekly earnings.
For most employees earning a reasonably standard wage, this means you’ll simply receive the flat £123.25 per week, worked out as a daily rate based on your normal working days. If you work a standard five-day week, that comes out to roughly £24.65 per qualifying day.
For lower earners, though, the 80% rule matters more. If your average weekly earnings sit below around £154, you won’t receive the full flat rate. Instead, you’ll be paid 80% of your actual average weekly earnings, which will be a smaller amount than £123.25. This is a deliberate design choice: it ensures sick pay entitlement scales with what you actually earn, rather than creating a flat payment that could exceed your normal wage.
SSP can be paid for up to 28 weeks in any single period of sickness, or across a series of linked periods, and it’s taxed and subject to National Insurance in the same way as your ordinary wages.
What This Means If You’re Newly Employed
One of the more overlooked effects of this reform is for people who’ve only just started a job. Previously, some employers’ contractual sick pay schemes required a minimum length of service, and even where SSP applied, the waiting days rule meant a short illness in your first few weeks could go entirely unpaid. Now, as long as you meet the basic qualifying conditions, your day-one sick pay entitlement applies from your very first day of employment, not after you’ve built up months of service. That’s a meaningful change if you’re starting a new role and happen to fall ill early on.
What Hasn’t Changed
It’s worth being clear about the limits of this reform too. SSP is still a legal minimum, not a full wage replacement, and many employers offer more generous contractual sick pay schemes on top of it, which continue to operate as before. The notification and evidence requirements, such as providing a fit note for longer absences, haven’t gone away. And employers still can’t reclaim SSP from HMRC, so the cost sits with the business, which is part of why this reform has drawn attention from employer groups as well as employees.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did statutory sick pay day-one rights start?
The change took effect on 6 April 2026. From that date, employees are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay from their first qualifying day of illness, rather than having to wait through three unpaid “waiting days” first.
Do I still need to earn a minimum amount to get SSP?
No. The lower earnings limit removed under this reform means there’s no minimum earnings threshold to qualify for SSP at all. However, if you earn less than around £154 a week on average, you’ll receive 80% of your average weekly earnings rather than the full flat rate.
How much is statutory sick pay for 2026/27?
The standard weekly rate is £123.25, or 80% of your average weekly earnings if that figure is lower. Most employees on typical wages will receive the full flat rate, while lower earners are paid proportionally to what they normally earn.
Does my sick pay entitlement start from day one even in a new job?
Yes. As long as you meet the basic eligibility conditions, such as being classed as an employee and following your employer’s sickness notification process, your SSP entitlement applies from your very first day of employment, with no minimum length of service required.
The removal of waiting days and the lower earnings limit together mark one of the most tangible improvements to come out of recent UK employment reform, precisely because it’s the kind of change most people only notice the moment they actually need it. If you’re off sick this year, it’s worth checking your payslip to make sure your employer has applied these new rules correctly from your very first day.
