Legal update
Statutory rates for 2026/2027
The Government has published its proposed new statutory rates of statutory sick pay and family leave pay. The new rates will take effect from 6 April 2026.
We have summarised the key changes below:
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)
SMP is payable at two different rates:
- Earnings-related rate - for the first six weeks, the employee is paid 90% of their average weekly earnings.
- Prescribed rate - for the remaining 33 weeks, the employee is paid the lower of the prescribed rate or the earnings-related rate (see below).
Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP)
SPP is payable for up to two weeks at either the earnings-related rate (90% of employee’s average weekly earnings) or the prescribed rate (see below), whichever is lower.
Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP)
ShPP is payable at:
- 90% of the average weekly earnings of the person claiming (the earnings-related rate) or
- the prescribed rate (see below),
whichever is lower.
The amount of ShPP that can be shared between eligible parents is 39 weeks less any weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance or Statutory Adoption Pay claimed by the mother or primary adopter.
Statutory adoption pay
Statutory parental bereavement pay
Statutory neonatal care leave pay
In addition, the lower earnings limit is set to be increased from £125 or more per week to £129 or more per week. The lower earnings limit is the average gross weekly earnings required to qualify for the various forms of family leave pay.