From 6 April the rates for Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay and Statutory Shared Parental Pay will increase to £194.32 a week.

From 6 April statutory sick pay will be paid from the first day of illness — no more 3-day wait. The earnings threshold has also been removed, meaning if you earn less than £125 a week you still qualify. The rate will also increase to £123.25 per week.

Paternity leave is now a day one right, meaning you can access it from the first day of your employment. This change applies to just the leave part however, with paternity pay still requiring 26 weeks' service.

Unpaid parental leave gives you the right to take time off to look after your child. You get up to 18 weeks per child up until their 18th birthday. It previously required one year's service but now you can access it from the first day of your employment.

Partners can now take paternity leave after shared parental leave. You must take the leave within 52 weeks of your baby's birth or due date (if your baby arrives earlier).

If the primary carer dies, the surviving partner has the legal right to take up to 52 weeks to care for their child. An important milestone, however, this leave is unpaid. This right is set out in separate legislation (Bereaved Partner's Paternity Leave Regulations 2026).

From 6 April, reporting sexual harassment will be classed as whistleblowing, meaning you can't be dismissed or treated badly for speaking up.

Tribunal time limits will extend from 3 to 6 months, giving you more time to bring a case if you decide to do so. Employers will also now be liable for harassment by customers and third parties, meaning your employer must take all reasonable measures to protect you from harassment at work, irrespective of where it comes from. These changes will come into effect from October 2026.

This is a new right entitling employees to take at least one week of leave following the loss of a loved one, including pregnancy loss. This will be available from the first day of employment and will be unpaid. The right also provides protections around redundancy and dismissal and is likely to be introduced in 2027 subject to secondary legislation.

There will be stronger protections against dismissal for pregnant employees and those returning to work from maternity leave. The legislation will also extend to those adopting. This will be introduced in 2027 subject to secondary legislation.

From January 2027, protection from unfair dismissal will become a right after 6 months of service, reducing it from the current timeframe of 2 years. It's also worth noting that "fire and rehire" tactics (terminating your contract and employing you on less favourable terms) will become an automatic unfair dismissal.

The law around flexible working will be strengthened, with employers having to give a reason from a set list if they reject a request. They will be legally required to explain why it applies. This is already good practice and will now become a legal requirement from 2027.