Every statutory rate, one page, no guessing.
The 2026/27 numbers an employer actually reaches for — sick pay, minimum wage, redundancy, notice, holiday, employer NI and pension minimums — each with its GOV.UK source and the date we last verified it. This page is generated from the same pinned rates our calculators compute with, so the two can never disagree.
- Verified against live GOV.UK pages
- One pinned source shared with the calculators
- Next scheduled review 2027-04-06
What are the current UK statutory rates for 2026/27?
For the 2026/27 tax year: Statutory Sick Pay is the lower of £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, payable from the first qualifying day. The National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for those 21 and over. A week's pay for statutory redundancy is capped at £751 (maximum £22,530 in total). Statutory notice runs one week per complete year of service from two years, capped at 12 weeks. Paid holiday is 5.6 weeks capped at 28 days; employer NI is 15% above £96 a week; and auto-enrolment pensions need at least 3% from the employer within an 8% total.
Most of these figures change at the April uprating, and a page like this is only useful if it says when it was last checked. Every group below carries its verification date and its GOV.UK source — and because our free calculators read the same pinned values this page renders, a rate can never be right in one place and stale in the other.
This is practical general information, not legal advice. Use the current linked official guidance for the facts in front of you.
Sick pay and minimum wage.
Statutory Sick Pay changed shape in April 2026: it is now payable from the first qualifying day (the three waiting days are gone) and the weekly rate is the LOWER of the flat rate or 80% of average weekly earnings, so low earners are no longer excluded by an earnings floor. Verified 2026-07-28.
Minimum-wage rates are age-banded, and apprentices under 19 (or 19+ in their first year) use the apprentice rate. Verified 2026-07-28.
- 01
SSP weekly rate — lower of £123.25 or 80% of average weekly earnings, from day one, for up to 28 weeks; spells 56 days apart or less link into one period.
- 02
National Living Wage (21+) — £12.71 an hour.
- 03
18–20 rate — £10.85 an hour.
- 04
Under-18 and apprentice rates — £8.00 an hour.
Notice and redundancy.
Notice is service-based rather than cash-based, so it does not change at the April uprating — but the redundancy cap does. Verified 2026-07-28.
- Employer statutory notice — 1 week from a month to 2 years' service, then 1 week per complete year, capped at 12 weeks from 12 years.
- Employee resignation minimum — 1 week after a month's service.
- Redundancy weekly pay cap — £751.
- Maximum statutory redundancy pay — £22,530.
Working time, holiday, employer NI and pensions.
Working-time limits and the 5.6-week holiday minimum are stable rules rather than annual rates; employer NI and pension thresholds move with fiscal events. Verified 2026-07-28.
- Working time — 48-hour average week (normally over 17 weeks), 20-minute break over 6 hours, 11 hours daily rest.
- Statutory holiday — 5.6 weeks, capped at 28 days.
- Employer National Insurance — 15% above the £96-a-week secondary threshold (£5,000 a year).
- Pension auto-enrolment — at least 3% employer within 8% total, on qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270.
This page states the rates. Applying them is the harder half.
The free calculators apply these rates with the working shown — entitlement, SSP, hours, notice, absence scoring and cost. What neither this page nor a calculator replaces: payroll software for payment, or advice where a real dismissal, redundancy or dispute is in motion.
HollyHR can help with
- Rates dated and GOV.UK-sourced
- Calculators compute from the same pinned values
- April uprating tracked as a standing review
Keep outside the claim
- Run payroll or submit RTI
- Advise on a live dispute
- Anticipate fiscal events before GOV.UK publishes
Check the rule where it is maintained.
These sources were reviewed on 28 July 2026. Paul Gould and Steve Folkes are the HollyHR founder-operators accountable for maintaining this guide. Follow the official page for the current rule, conditions and exceptions rather than relying on an old quotation.
- GOV.UK — Statutory Sick PayThe SSP rate, day-one payability and duration rules.
- GOV.UK — minimum wage ratesThe age-banded NLW and NMW hourly rates.
- GOV.UK — redundancy payThe weekly pay cap and statutory maximum.
- GOV.UK — NI rates and lettersEmployer secondary Class 1 rates and thresholds.
- GOV.UK — workplace pension contributionsAuto-enrolment minimums and the qualifying earnings band.
Questions behind the checklist.
Short answers for scanning; the practical detail and source links stay above.
When do UK statutory rates change?
Most cash rates change at the April uprating — the current set took effect from 2026-04-06. Service-based rules (notice bands, the 5.6-week holiday minimum, working-time limits) are stable between legislation. This page's next scheduled review is 2027-04-06, and any GOV.UK change to a listed rate triggers an immediate one.
Why do this page and the HollyHR calculators always agree?
Because they cannot disagree: the page is generated from the same single pinned rates source the calculator engines import. When a rate is updated once, the page and every calculator move together — there is no second copy to forget.
What if GOV.UK shows a different figure?
GOV.UK wins, always — it is the authority and every group above links its source page. Each group also shows the date we last verified it, so you can see at a glance how fresh the check is.
Keep the rule, owner and people record in one calm place.
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