Yes. Since April 2026 the old three waiting days have gone, so statutory sick pay starts on the first day off sick. The lower earnings limit has gone too, so a lot of part-time and lower-paid staff who never qualified before now do. More of your people are entitled, and they're entitled sooner.
The risk here isn't the law, it's your habits. If your payroll or absence process still assumes waiting days or an earnings cut-off, you can underpay someone without meaning to, and that's a legal problem and a trust problem in one. Check your sick pay policy and payroll actually match the new rules, and be clear where any company sick pay sits on top.
Every situation has its own details, and those details change the right answer. For a read on yours, take the free Employee Situation Check or book a call.
Watch
How to handle this, in a couple of minutes
Samantha talks through the practical steps.
General guidance to help you decide your next step, not legal advice. Employment law changes, so always check the current position for your own situation.
