A new website has been launched by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) offering practical guidance and support on the changes that the Employment Rights Act will introduce and what they can do to get ready.
The website provides details of upcoming changes, including several that come into force from April 2026. These include:
- Statutory Sick Pay - No earnings threshold and no three-day waiting period mean more employees will now qualify.
- Day-one family leave - Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave a right from the first day in a job.
- Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave - A new right for time off following the death of a child’s mother or primary adopter.
- Collective redundancy protections - The protective award for non-compliance is being increased.
- Stronger protections for workers who report sexual harassment.
- A new body called the Fair Work Agency will work to uphold workers’ rights and support businesses with compliance.
The website includes details on how to prepare for changes and a timeline of when further changes will be introduced. It can be found here and would be well worth saving to your browser favourites
A leading think tank has criticised the fiscal rules that the Chancellor uses to determine the government’s tax and spending plans. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has suggested that reducing complex finances to a pass‑or‑fail number misses the bigger picture.
With just a few weeks to go until the beginning of a new tax year, a new round of tax changes take effect from April 2026. While many people won’t see a big difference in their day-to-day tax position, there are some areas worth having on the radar.
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