April 2020 Employment Law Updates
This timetable outlines the major changes to UK employment legislation along with statutory rates and compensation limits.
1 January 2020 - Executive pay ratio reports published
New regulations under the Companies Act 2006, in force from 1 January 2019, require UK listed companies with more than 250 UK employees to report on the pay ratio between their chief executive and their average UK worker as part of their annual company reporting requirements.
Around 900 businesses will have to state, in their directors’ remuneration report, the pay gap between their CEO and a representative employee from the:
Companies can choose between three options for calculating the pay ratio but must account for their choice in the report. A strengthening of the Corporate Governance Code also requires them to say what action they’ve taken to improve employee engagement and consultation in their remuneration reports.
The first reports will be published from the beginning of 2020 reporting on pay awarded in 2019.
13 March 2020 - SSP amendment for Coronavirus self-isolation
From this date, statutory sick pay (SSP) is payable from day one of an employee or worker’s absence from work, rather than day four as previously, if the reason for the absence is self-isolation to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in accordance with guidance from Public Health England, NHS Scotland, or Public Health Wales.
Employers are responsible for paying SSP and ‘will know the reason their staff are giving for not being at work’ according to a government press release. The legislation is temporary, subject to ministerial rule and automatically lapses after eight months.
Legislation to make SSP payable from day one for absence due to Covid-19 sickness is also promised.
18 March 2020 - Tribunal proceedings during Coronavirus outbreak
The employment tribunal service for England and Wales, and Scotland, has issued guidance on conducting tribunals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The guidance says that hearings may be conducted using electronic communications (including by telephone and video conferencing) where the tribunal thinks it ‘just and equitable’ to do so, in order to reduce the risks to parties and their representatives caused by having to travel to tribunals and interact with a range of individuals.
Hearings conducted by employment judges and only one lay member are also encouraged where it is not possible to convene the usual 3-person panel. The tribunal service has asked for applications to tribunals to be sent electronically because judges may not be working from the tribunal building.
23 March 2020 - Coronavirus bill
A bill containing a wide-ranging set of regulations giving the Government temporary emergency powers to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic was debated in Parliament on 23 March and is expected to become law by 25 March.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 bring into law some of the employment measures already announced by the Government. The statutory instrument gives the Government the power to make further regulations that will allow:
Other measures include a new statutory right to take emergency volunteer leave to help in health or social care for workers certified as appropriate by a local authority, the NHS, or the Department of Health, and working in businesses with 10 or more staff.
Workers can take the leave in blocks of two, three or four weeks and may take one block of leave in any volunteering period. The first 16-week period begins on the day the legislation takes effect.
Volunteers must give three working days’ notice of their intention to take the leave. There are no provisions allowing employers to refuse it. The leave is unpaid but a fund will be established to compensate volunteers for loss of earnings, travel and subsistence. All other terms and conditions other than salary continue during the leave and the volunteer has a right to return to their own job.
The bill also gives the Government the power to restrict events and close down business premises where needed to prevent the transmission of Coronavirus, or to avoid the deployment of medical or emergency staff.
The legislation is limited to two years' duration, although this period can be lengthened or shortened as required, and the measures within it can be brought in, suspended and reactivated in response to current needs.
30 March 2020 - Gender pay gap reports (public sector)
Specified public authorities, including government departments, the armed forces, local authorities, the NHS and state schools, with 250 or more employees, are required to publish their gender pay gap reports annually by this date, based on data gathered on 31 March each year.
The requirements for the reports, under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, are largely the same as those that apply to private and voluntary sector organisations of the same size (see below).
Coronavirus (COVID-19): the Government has announced a suspension of enforcement measures on gender pay gap reporting for 2019/20 in view of the unprecedented pressures businesses are currently experiencing.
4 April 2020 - Gender pay gap reports (private and voluntary sectors)
Private and voluntary sector employers in England, Wales and Scotland with at least 250 employees are required to publish information about the differences in pay and bonuses between men and women in their workforce, based on a ‘snapshot’ date of 5 April each year, under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017. The third set of reports are due by 4 April 2020. Similar reporting requirements apply to larger public sector employers (see above).
Provisions under the Northern Irish Employment Act 2016 mirror these, but have yet to be brought into force.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): the Government has announced a suspension of enforcement measures on gender pay gap reporting for 2019/20 in view of the unprecedented pressures businesses are currently experiencing.
6 April 2020 - Good work plan: agency workers, annual leave, statement of terms
In the ‘Good work plan’, published in December 2018, the government made a commitment to abolish a legal loophole known as the ‘Swedish derogation’ in the rules governing the use of agency workers. This allowed agencies to opt out of equalising the pay of agency staff with the permanent workforce when they had been with the same employer for more than 12 weeks, provided they paid the agency workers between assignments.
The opt-out will cease on 6 April 2020 when the Agency Workers (Amendment) Regulations 2019 come into force.
The government is also lengthening the reference period for determining an average week’s pay from 12 weeks to 52 weeks from 6 April 2020 - see the Employment Rights (Employment Particulars and Paid Annual Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2018. The reform is intended to improve the holiday pay for seasonal workers, who tend to lose out over the way it is currently calculated.
A third change will extend the entitlement to receive a statement of ‘written particulars’ (on basic employment terms and conditions) to include workers as well as employees and make it a day one right (see Part 3 of Employment Rights (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019). Currently employers have up to two months to issue the statement to any employee working for them for more than a month.
6 April 2020 - National Minimum Wage ‘naming and shaming’
The government is resuming the public naming of businesses that don’t comply with the National Minimum Wage regulations from this date, while raising the threshold at which this occurs from £100 to £500 in payment arrears. Fines still exist for underpayments of less than £100.
Other changes to the regulations being introduced on this date include:
The government is also promising better guidance on the NMW, more compliance support for small businesses, and a helpline for employers operating salary sacrifice or other pay deduction schemes.
6 April 2020 - Parental bereavement leave and pay
On 23 January 2020, the Government announced that the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 will be coming into force on 6 April 2020.
The Act, which became law on 13 September 2019, gives employees who lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from the 24th week of pregnancy, on or after this date, the right to two weeks’ leave. Regulations specify that the two weeks’ leave may be taken as one block, or as two non-consecutive one week blocks, at any time during the 56 weeks following the child’s death.
The leave will be paid at the same statutory rate as other family friendly rights if the employee has 26 weeks’ service.
Employed parents are already entitled, as a day one right, to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with emergencies involving a dependent, including dealing with a dependent’s death.
6 April 2020 - Extension of IR35 to private sector postponed
On 17 March 2020, the government announced that it was postponing the rollout of the new off payroll working rules (known as IR35) to the private sector until 6 April 2021. The government emphasised that this was a “deferral, not a cancellation” in response to the Coronavirus situation, and that it remained committed to the policy of ensuring that those contractors working like employees pay the same tax as employees.
The IR35 rules prevent contractors working through Personal Service Companies (PCS), and performing similar roles to employees, paying less tax and NICs than if they were permanently employed by the client organisation. When the rules were introduced in 2000, contractors themselves assessed whether IR35 applied to them. In April 2017, responsibility for deciding whether contractors’ working in the public sector were caught by IR35 switched to their employers, and those organisations also became liable for deducting the right amount of tax and NICs from fees paid to the contractors’ PSCs.
From 6 April 2021, this responsibility applies to all private sector employers that in a tax year have:
HMRC published guidance on the new rules, Prepare for changes to the off-payroll working rules (IR35), and draft regulations and a further consultation in 11 July 2019.
6 April 2020 - Information and consultation changes
From this date, the threshold for making a valid request to set up information and consultation arrangements under the ICE Regulations 2004 drops from 10% to the 2% of the workforce. There still needs to be 15 employees making the request.
The regulations apply to businesses with 50 or more employees in the UK, and the changes are being introduced under the ‘Good work plan’.
6 April 2020 - Contracts of employment
From this date, both workers and employees are entitled to receive written particulars from day one of their contract. Previously this right only applied to employees and the employer had two months in which to fulfil the obligation.
There are also some additional items that must now be included in the contract while other information can be delivered separately.
6 April 2020 - Tax on termination payments
From this date, termination payments over the sum of £30,000 become subject to employer NICs. This change was delayed from April 2018.
No date - Neonatal leave and pay and unpaid carers
The ‘Good work plan’ contained a commitment to introduce extra statutory leave and pay for all parents of premature babies needing specialist care in a neonatal unit. The March 2020 Budget policy paper confirmed the government’s intention to introduce 12 weeks’ paid leave for parents in this position ‘so that parents do not have to choose between returning to work and taking care of their vulnerable newborn’. Announcements prior to the Budget indicated the premature baby leave would be in addition to existing maternity and paternity pay provisions and would be paid at around £160 a week.
There was also a Budget commitment to consult on a new ‘in-work entitlement’ for employees with unpaid caring responsibilities, such as for a family member or a dependent.
Statutory rates and compensation limits
Included below are the current rates and limits on the following awards and payments: compensation limits including unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy pay, statutory sick pay, maternity, paternity and adoption pay, national minimum wage rates, income tax allowances, tribunal fees and Disclosure and Barring Service fees for criminal record checks.
Compensation limits
Maximum guarantee payments:
From 6 April 2019: £29 a day (maximum £145, five days in any three-month period)
From 6 April 2020: £30 a day (maximum £150, five days in any three-month period)
Maximum week's pay for calculating redundancy and unfair dismissal basic award:
From 6 April 2019: £525
From 6 April 2020: £538
Maximum basic award for unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy payment:
From 6 April 2019: £15,750 (30 weeks' pay subject to the limit on a week's pay)
From 6 April 2020: £16,140 (30 weeks' pay subject to the limit on a week's pay)
Minimum basic award for dismissal on trade union, health and safety, occupational pension scheme trustee, employee representative and on working time grounds only:
From 6 April 2019: £6,408
From 6 April 2020: £6,562
Maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal (unlimited for certain automatically unfair dismissals, for example, health and safety or whistle blowing):
From 6 April 2019: £86,444
From 6 April 2020: £88,519
Additional award for failure to comply with reinstatement or re-engagement order:
From 6 April 2019: £13,650 - £27,300 (26-52 weeks' pay maximum)
From 6 April 2020: £13,988 - £27,976 (26-52 weeks' pay maximum)
Minimum compensation for employees excluded/expelled from trade union:
From 6 April 2019: £9,787
From 6 April 2020: £10,022
Failure to allow right to be accompanied correctly:
From 6 April 2019: £1,050 (two weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
From 6 April 2020: £1,076 (two weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
Failure to give written statement of particulars:
From 6 April 2019: £1,050 or £2,100 (two or four weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
From 6 April 2020: £1,076 or £2,152 (two or four weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
Flexible working regulations:
From 6 April 2019: £4,200 (eight weeks’ pay capped at the statutory amount)
From 6 April 2020: £4,304 (eight weeks’ pay capped at the statutory amount)
Family friendly payments
Statutory maternity pay (SMP):
First six weeks – 90 per cent of employee’s average weekly earnings. Remaining weeks at the following rates.
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory adoption pay (SAP):
First six weeks – 90 per cent of employee’s average weekly earnings. Remaining weeks at the following rates.
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory paternity pay (SPP):
Paid for two weeks.
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory shared parental leave pay:
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory sick pay
From 6 April 2019: £94.25
From 6 April 2020: £95.85
National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage
From 1 April 2019:
Workers aged 25 and over: £8.21 an hour (National Living Wage)
Workers aged 21-24: £7.70 an hour
Development rate for workers aged 18-20: £6.15 an hour
Young workers rate for workers aged 16-17: £4.35 an hour
Apprentice rate: £3.90 an hour
The new rates were announced in the Budget 2018 and follow the Low Pay Commission's recommendations.
From 1 April 2020:
Workers aged 25 and over: £8.72 an hour (National Living Wage)
Workers aged 21-24: £8.20 an hour
Development rate for workers aged 18-20: £6.45 an hour
Young workers rate for workers aged 16-17: £4.55 an hour
Apprentice rate: £4.15 an hour
The new rates were announced on 31 December 2019 and follow the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations.
Redundancy pay
For details of statutory redundancy payments and guaranteed pay see the Compensation limits listed above.
Disclosure and Barring Service fees
New fees apply from 1 October 2019:
Enhanced DBS check: £40 (previously £44)
Standard DBS check: £23 (previously £26)
Basic DBS check: £23 (previously £25)
Update Service: £13 (unchanged)
DBS adult first check: £6 (unchanged)
New regulations under the Companies Act 2006, in force from 1 January 2019, require UK listed companies with more than 250 UK employees to report on the pay ratio between their chief executive and their average UK worker as part of their annual company reporting requirements.
Around 900 businesses will have to state, in their directors’ remuneration report, the pay gap between their CEO and a representative employee from the:
- 25th pay percentile
- 50th (median) pay percentile
- 75th pay percentile.
Companies can choose between three options for calculating the pay ratio but must account for their choice in the report. A strengthening of the Corporate Governance Code also requires them to say what action they’ve taken to improve employee engagement and consultation in their remuneration reports.
The first reports will be published from the beginning of 2020 reporting on pay awarded in 2019.
13 March 2020 - SSP amendment for Coronavirus self-isolation
From this date, statutory sick pay (SSP) is payable from day one of an employee or worker’s absence from work, rather than day four as previously, if the reason for the absence is self-isolation to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in accordance with guidance from Public Health England, NHS Scotland, or Public Health Wales.
Employers are responsible for paying SSP and ‘will know the reason their staff are giving for not being at work’ according to a government press release. The legislation is temporary, subject to ministerial rule and automatically lapses after eight months.
Legislation to make SSP payable from day one for absence due to Covid-19 sickness is also promised.
18 March 2020 - Tribunal proceedings during Coronavirus outbreak
The employment tribunal service for England and Wales, and Scotland, has issued guidance on conducting tribunals during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The guidance says that hearings may be conducted using electronic communications (including by telephone and video conferencing) where the tribunal thinks it ‘just and equitable’ to do so, in order to reduce the risks to parties and their representatives caused by having to travel to tribunals and interact with a range of individuals.
Hearings conducted by employment judges and only one lay member are also encouraged where it is not possible to convene the usual 3-person panel. The tribunal service has asked for applications to tribunals to be sent electronically because judges may not be working from the tribunal building.
23 March 2020 - Coronavirus bill
A bill containing a wide-ranging set of regulations giving the Government temporary emergency powers to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic was debated in Parliament on 23 March and is expected to become law by 25 March.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 bring into law some of the employment measures already announced by the Government. The statutory instrument gives the Government the power to make further regulations that will allow:
- employers to recover the additional statutory sick pay paid out due to the scrapping of the 3-day waiting period (see ‘SSP amendment above’)
- rebating to be extended to larger businesses, if necessary
- the amount of rebate payable to be increased or decreased.
Other measures include a new statutory right to take emergency volunteer leave to help in health or social care for workers certified as appropriate by a local authority, the NHS, or the Department of Health, and working in businesses with 10 or more staff.
Workers can take the leave in blocks of two, three or four weeks and may take one block of leave in any volunteering period. The first 16-week period begins on the day the legislation takes effect.
Volunteers must give three working days’ notice of their intention to take the leave. There are no provisions allowing employers to refuse it. The leave is unpaid but a fund will be established to compensate volunteers for loss of earnings, travel and subsistence. All other terms and conditions other than salary continue during the leave and the volunteer has a right to return to their own job.
The bill also gives the Government the power to restrict events and close down business premises where needed to prevent the transmission of Coronavirus, or to avoid the deployment of medical or emergency staff.
The legislation is limited to two years' duration, although this period can be lengthened or shortened as required, and the measures within it can be brought in, suspended and reactivated in response to current needs.
30 March 2020 - Gender pay gap reports (public sector)
Specified public authorities, including government departments, the armed forces, local authorities, the NHS and state schools, with 250 or more employees, are required to publish their gender pay gap reports annually by this date, based on data gathered on 31 March each year.
The requirements for the reports, under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, are largely the same as those that apply to private and voluntary sector organisations of the same size (see below).
Coronavirus (COVID-19): the Government has announced a suspension of enforcement measures on gender pay gap reporting for 2019/20 in view of the unprecedented pressures businesses are currently experiencing.
4 April 2020 - Gender pay gap reports (private and voluntary sectors)
Private and voluntary sector employers in England, Wales and Scotland with at least 250 employees are required to publish information about the differences in pay and bonuses between men and women in their workforce, based on a ‘snapshot’ date of 5 April each year, under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017. The third set of reports are due by 4 April 2020. Similar reporting requirements apply to larger public sector employers (see above).
Provisions under the Northern Irish Employment Act 2016 mirror these, but have yet to be brought into force.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): the Government has announced a suspension of enforcement measures on gender pay gap reporting for 2019/20 in view of the unprecedented pressures businesses are currently experiencing.
6 April 2020 - Good work plan: agency workers, annual leave, statement of terms
In the ‘Good work plan’, published in December 2018, the government made a commitment to abolish a legal loophole known as the ‘Swedish derogation’ in the rules governing the use of agency workers. This allowed agencies to opt out of equalising the pay of agency staff with the permanent workforce when they had been with the same employer for more than 12 weeks, provided they paid the agency workers between assignments.
The opt-out will cease on 6 April 2020 when the Agency Workers (Amendment) Regulations 2019 come into force.
The government is also lengthening the reference period for determining an average week’s pay from 12 weeks to 52 weeks from 6 April 2020 - see the Employment Rights (Employment Particulars and Paid Annual Leave) (Amendment) Regulations 2018. The reform is intended to improve the holiday pay for seasonal workers, who tend to lose out over the way it is currently calculated.
A third change will extend the entitlement to receive a statement of ‘written particulars’ (on basic employment terms and conditions) to include workers as well as employees and make it a day one right (see Part 3 of Employment Rights (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019). Currently employers have up to two months to issue the statement to any employee working for them for more than a month.
6 April 2020 - National Minimum Wage ‘naming and shaming’
The government is resuming the public naming of businesses that don’t comply with the National Minimum Wage regulations from this date, while raising the threshold at which this occurs from £100 to £500 in payment arrears. Fines still exist for underpayments of less than £100.
Other changes to the regulations being introduced on this date include:
- Broadening the definition of ‘salaried hours workers’ (those receiving an annual salary in equal instalments for a set number of contracted hours) to include fortnightly and 4-weekly payment cycles
- Allowing employers to choose the most appropriate ‘calculation year’ for pay monitoring purposes
- Ensuring salaried workers can be paid premiums (for working on Bank Holidays, for example) without this affecting their entitlement to the NMW on other days.
The government is also promising better guidance on the NMW, more compliance support for small businesses, and a helpline for employers operating salary sacrifice or other pay deduction schemes.
6 April 2020 - Parental bereavement leave and pay
On 23 January 2020, the Government announced that the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018 will be coming into force on 6 April 2020.
The Act, which became law on 13 September 2019, gives employees who lose a child under the age of 18, or suffer a stillbirth from the 24th week of pregnancy, on or after this date, the right to two weeks’ leave. Regulations specify that the two weeks’ leave may be taken as one block, or as two non-consecutive one week blocks, at any time during the 56 weeks following the child’s death.
The leave will be paid at the same statutory rate as other family friendly rights if the employee has 26 weeks’ service.
Employed parents are already entitled, as a day one right, to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off to deal with emergencies involving a dependent, including dealing with a dependent’s death.
6 April 2020 - Extension of IR35 to private sector postponed
On 17 March 2020, the government announced that it was postponing the rollout of the new off payroll working rules (known as IR35) to the private sector until 6 April 2021. The government emphasised that this was a “deferral, not a cancellation” in response to the Coronavirus situation, and that it remained committed to the policy of ensuring that those contractors working like employees pay the same tax as employees.
The IR35 rules prevent contractors working through Personal Service Companies (PCS), and performing similar roles to employees, paying less tax and NICs than if they were permanently employed by the client organisation. When the rules were introduced in 2000, contractors themselves assessed whether IR35 applied to them. In April 2017, responsibility for deciding whether contractors’ working in the public sector were caught by IR35 switched to their employers, and those organisations also became liable for deducting the right amount of tax and NICs from fees paid to the contractors’ PSCs.
From 6 April 2021, this responsibility applies to all private sector employers that in a tax year have:
- more than 50 employees
- an annual turnover over £10.2 million
- a balance sheet worth over £5.1 million.
HMRC published guidance on the new rules, Prepare for changes to the off-payroll working rules (IR35), and draft regulations and a further consultation in 11 July 2019.
6 April 2020 - Information and consultation changes
From this date, the threshold for making a valid request to set up information and consultation arrangements under the ICE Regulations 2004 drops from 10% to the 2% of the workforce. There still needs to be 15 employees making the request.
The regulations apply to businesses with 50 or more employees in the UK, and the changes are being introduced under the ‘Good work plan’.
6 April 2020 - Contracts of employment
From this date, both workers and employees are entitled to receive written particulars from day one of their contract. Previously this right only applied to employees and the employer had two months in which to fulfil the obligation.
There are also some additional items that must now be included in the contract while other information can be delivered separately.
6 April 2020 - Tax on termination payments
From this date, termination payments over the sum of £30,000 become subject to employer NICs. This change was delayed from April 2018.
No date - Neonatal leave and pay and unpaid carers
The ‘Good work plan’ contained a commitment to introduce extra statutory leave and pay for all parents of premature babies needing specialist care in a neonatal unit. The March 2020 Budget policy paper confirmed the government’s intention to introduce 12 weeks’ paid leave for parents in this position ‘so that parents do not have to choose between returning to work and taking care of their vulnerable newborn’. Announcements prior to the Budget indicated the premature baby leave would be in addition to existing maternity and paternity pay provisions and would be paid at around £160 a week.
There was also a Budget commitment to consult on a new ‘in-work entitlement’ for employees with unpaid caring responsibilities, such as for a family member or a dependent.
Statutory rates and compensation limits
Included below are the current rates and limits on the following awards and payments: compensation limits including unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy pay, statutory sick pay, maternity, paternity and adoption pay, national minimum wage rates, income tax allowances, tribunal fees and Disclosure and Barring Service fees for criminal record checks.
Compensation limits
Maximum guarantee payments:
From 6 April 2019: £29 a day (maximum £145, five days in any three-month period)
From 6 April 2020: £30 a day (maximum £150, five days in any three-month period)
Maximum week's pay for calculating redundancy and unfair dismissal basic award:
From 6 April 2019: £525
From 6 April 2020: £538
Maximum basic award for unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy payment:
From 6 April 2019: £15,750 (30 weeks' pay subject to the limit on a week's pay)
From 6 April 2020: £16,140 (30 weeks' pay subject to the limit on a week's pay)
Minimum basic award for dismissal on trade union, health and safety, occupational pension scheme trustee, employee representative and on working time grounds only:
From 6 April 2019: £6,408
From 6 April 2020: £6,562
Maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal (unlimited for certain automatically unfair dismissals, for example, health and safety or whistle blowing):
From 6 April 2019: £86,444
From 6 April 2020: £88,519
Additional award for failure to comply with reinstatement or re-engagement order:
From 6 April 2019: £13,650 - £27,300 (26-52 weeks' pay maximum)
From 6 April 2020: £13,988 - £27,976 (26-52 weeks' pay maximum)
Minimum compensation for employees excluded/expelled from trade union:
From 6 April 2019: £9,787
From 6 April 2020: £10,022
Failure to allow right to be accompanied correctly:
From 6 April 2019: £1,050 (two weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
From 6 April 2020: £1,076 (two weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
Failure to give written statement of particulars:
From 6 April 2019: £1,050 or £2,100 (two or four weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
From 6 April 2020: £1,076 or £2,152 (two or four weeks' pay capped at the statutory amount)
Flexible working regulations:
From 6 April 2019: £4,200 (eight weeks’ pay capped at the statutory amount)
From 6 April 2020: £4,304 (eight weeks’ pay capped at the statutory amount)
Family friendly payments
Statutory maternity pay (SMP):
First six weeks – 90 per cent of employee’s average weekly earnings. Remaining weeks at the following rates.
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory adoption pay (SAP):
First six weeks – 90 per cent of employee’s average weekly earnings. Remaining weeks at the following rates.
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory paternity pay (SPP):
Paid for two weeks.
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory shared parental leave pay:
From 7 April 2019: £148.68 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
From 5 April 2020: £151.20 or 90 per cent of employee’s weekly earnings if this is lower.
Statutory sick pay
From 6 April 2019: £94.25
From 6 April 2020: £95.85
National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage
From 1 April 2019:
Workers aged 25 and over: £8.21 an hour (National Living Wage)
Workers aged 21-24: £7.70 an hour
Development rate for workers aged 18-20: £6.15 an hour
Young workers rate for workers aged 16-17: £4.35 an hour
Apprentice rate: £3.90 an hour
The new rates were announced in the Budget 2018 and follow the Low Pay Commission's recommendations.
From 1 April 2020:
Workers aged 25 and over: £8.72 an hour (National Living Wage)
Workers aged 21-24: £8.20 an hour
Development rate for workers aged 18-20: £6.45 an hour
Young workers rate for workers aged 16-17: £4.55 an hour
Apprentice rate: £4.15 an hour
The new rates were announced on 31 December 2019 and follow the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations.
Redundancy pay
For details of statutory redundancy payments and guaranteed pay see the Compensation limits listed above.
Disclosure and Barring Service fees
New fees apply from 1 October 2019:
Enhanced DBS check: £40 (previously £44)
Standard DBS check: £23 (previously £26)
Basic DBS check: £23 (previously £25)
Update Service: £13 (unchanged)
DBS adult first check: £6 (unchanged)
The contents of this page are for reference purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Independent legal advice should be sought in relation to any specific legal matter.