Millions of workers get sick pay and parental leave from day one – here’s what it means

Millions of people across the UK now have stronger rights at work after major law changes came into force earlier this week.

The changes are part of the Employment Rights Act and affect sick pay, paternity leave, parental leave, and support for bereaved parents. The government says more than 18 million workers will benefit.

Below, we explain what’s changed, who it applies to, and what it means for you.

What’s changed at a glance

As of April 2026:

• Sick pay starts from day one of illness, not day four

• Workers qualify for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) no matter how low their pay is

• New dads and partners get statutory paternity leave from day one in a job

• Parents can take unpaid parental leave from day one

• A new right called Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave comes into force

What does this mean if you’re off sick?

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is the minimum amount of sick pay your employer must pay you if you’re too ill to work. It’s set by the government, not your employer.

Before April 2026, you only got SSP from the fourth day you were off sick. Some low paid workers didn’t qualify at all. From April 2026, SSP is paid from your first day off sick and you qualify even if you don’t earn much.

SSP is paid at the lower of £123.25 a week or 80% of your average weekly pay though this goes up each year in line with inflation.

The new rule means you don’t lose pay just for being sick you can stay home to rest and recover properly if you need to instead.

What’s changed for new parents?

Parents now have the right to day one paternity leave, i.e. statutory paternity leave. This is paid time off for fathers or partners (including same sex partners) expecting a child. From April 2026, you get this from your first day in a new job. Before, you had to work for your employer for six months to qualify. Around 32,000 fathers and partners a year are expected to benefit.

Statutory paternity leave is up to two weeks and set at the government’s rate (currently £194.32 per week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower). This is the legal minimum, although your employer could choose to offer more.

What is unpaid parental leave – and how is it different?

Unpaid parental leave lets parents take time off to look after their child. As the name suggests, it’s unpaid and available to each parent, but it entitles parents to take up to four weeks off per year to look after their children. This type of leave can be used to manage childcare clashes (for example during school holidays), for example.

Prior to April 2026, you had to work for your employer for a full year to qualify. But, now, you can take unpaid parental leave from day one. Around 1.5 million parents in the UK are expected to benefit from this change.

New support for bereaved parents

Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave is a new right for parents whose partner (the child’s mother or primary adopter) has died within a year of the child’s birth or adoption.

It gives the surviving partner time off work to care for their child and job security at an extremely difficult time.

Partners have the right to take up to a year off, but there’s no provisions for pay under the law. It’s at the employer’s discretion whether they choose to offer some paid time off for this purpose.

Are the new rules just for people starting jobs from April 2026?

These rights apply to all employees regardless of when you started your job and how long you’ve worked for your employer. The key date is when the leave or sickness happens, not when you started work.

Are the rules retroactive?

The changes do not apply to sickness or leave taken before 6 April 2026. But anything that happens on or after that date uses the new rules.