April 2026 Employment Law Changes - Updating StaffSavvy Absence Policies
The three main policy changes coming in April 2026 refer to Statutory Sick Pay, Paternity Leave, and Unpaid Parental Leave.
It’s easy to check if you need to update your policies for 6 April 2026 or if you are already complying with these three new laws.
Statutory Sick Pay
Law Change - Right to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from day one of sickness, removing the 3 days unpaid.
How to check or amend this on StaffSavvy - Go to System > Absence & Breaks > Manage Absence Policies > Click Edit on your Absence Policy > Edit Sickness Policy
In your entitlement breakdown, you will see if you have a duration of unpaid leave, usually 3 days as per previous regulations. To comply with the new rules, you would click ‘Remove Phase’ for the unpaid section.
Who to communicate any changes to - All Staff
Other things to note but no action required on StaffSavvy - The lower earnings limit for SSP will be removed – currently, workers must earn a minimum of £125 a week to be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay.
Helpful Links about Statutory Sick Pay
Government Guidance on SSP for Employers
Government Guidance on SSP for Employees
2. Paternity Leave
New Law - Paternity leave becomes a day-one right, removing the 26 weeks’ service requirement
How to check or amend this on StaffSavvy - Go to System > Absence & Breaks > Manage Absence Policies > Click Edit on your Absence Policy > Edit Paternity Policy
In your Length of Service Requirement dropdown, change this to ‘No minimum length of service’ if it's not already.
Who to communicate any changes to - All Staff
Helpful links
Statutory Paternity Pay and Leave Employer Guide
3. Unpaid Parental Leave
New Law - Unpaid Parental Leave becomes a day-one right, removing the one-year service requirement
How to check or amend this on StaffSavvy - Go to System > Absence & Breaks > Manage Absence Policies > Click Edit on your Absence Policy > Edit Parental Leave Policy
In your Length of Service Requirement dropdown change this to ‘No minimum length of service’ if it's not already.
Who to communicate any changes to - All Staff
Other things to note, but no action required on StaffSavvy - The restriction on taking paternity leave after shared parental leave will be removed.
Helpful links
Unpaid Parental Leave Employer Guide
Need help updating your policies?
Just talk to the StaffSavvy Support Team and they will be happy to talk you through any changes you need to make.
Or if you’re not yet a StaffSavvy user why not book yourself a free demo and see how we can make all this HR compliance easy for you.