April 2026 sees an increase in a number of rates and limits of relevance to employers, including national minimum wage, statutory sick pay and statutory family leave pay.

Details of these changes are below:

National Minimum Wage

From 1 April 2026, the following minimum rates of pay apply:

• The National Living Wage for those aged 21 and above is £12.71 per hour
• The National Minimum Wage for:
  • 18- to 20-year-olds (inclusive) is £10.85 per hour
  • 16- to 17-year-olds (inclusive) is £8.00 per hour
  • Apprentices under 19 (all) or 19 and over (in their first year) is £8.00 per hour

Statutory sick pay

From 6 April 2026, the rate at which statutory sick pay is paid will increase to £123.25 per week (up from £118.75).

In addition, we expect from April 2026 that the three-day waiting period to receive statutory sick pay will be removed by the Employment Rights Bill along with the lower earnings limit for entitlement.

Statutory family-related leave

From 6 April 2026, the following prescribed rates of pay apply:

• Statutory maternity pay or adoption pay for the first six weeks is 90% of average weekly earnings per week.
• Statutory maternity pay or adoption pay for the remaining weeks is the lower of 90% of average weekly earnings or £194.32 per week.
• Statutory paternity pay, shared parental pay, neonatal care pay, and parental bereavement pay is the lower of 90% of average weekly earnings or £194.32 per week.