Employment Rights Act dates for a small employer
The Employment Rights Act changes arrive in stages. For a business with 5 to 30 staff, the ones that matter most so far are day one sick pay (April 2026), a longer time limit for tribunal claims (October 2026), a stronger harassment duty (30 October 2026) and shorter unfair dismissal qualifying service plus a trade union statement for staff (January 2027).
This is not legal advice. Every date below comes from the government's Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act timeline, last updated in October 2026. It says "all future dates remain subject to parliamentary processes and may change", so check there before you act. I have left out the changes that mainly concern trade unions or large employers.
Which dates matter, and when?
Dates up to today should be in force.
- 6 April 2026: Statutory Sick Pay. The lower earnings limit and the waiting period were removed. GOV.UK's Statutory Sick Pay guide has the current rate and rules.
- 6 April 2026: day one family leave. Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave became day one rights, and Bereaved Partners' Paternity Leave was introduced.
- 1 October 2026: tribunal time limits. The government's timeline says the "time limit for bringing a claim to the Employment Tribunal has increased from 3 to 6 months".
- 30 October 2026: sexual harassment. Employers must take "all reasonable steps" to prevent sexual harassment, and protection extends to harassment by third parties, such as customers.
- January 2027: unfair dismissal. The qualifying period drops to 6 months, compensation awards are uncapped, and fire and rehire protections begin.
- 1 January 2027: trade union statement. The government's consultation response says new workers get a standard statement "at the same time as the written statement of employment particulars", existing workers must be able to reach it, and employers "must issue an annual reminder".
- 2027, no exact date yet. Flexible working changes, bereavement leave including pregnancy loss, stronger dismissal protection for pregnant women and new mothers, and a right for zero hours and low hours workers to be offered regular hours.
The admin this creates
The rules are for GOV.UK and your adviser, but each change creates record keeping, and in a small business that lands on the owner.
- Sick days. With sick pay from the first day, the sick days log has to be right from the first day too, and line up with payroll.
- Starter paperwork. From January 2027 the written statement of employment particulars goes out with the trade union statement, and everyone needs a yearly reminder.
- Six month dates. With unfair dismissal protection after 6 months, it helps to know each person's six month date and what was reviewed before it.
- Harassment steps. "All reasonable steps" is easier to show if the policy, training dates and reviews are written down when they happen.
- Keeping records longer. With six months to bring a claim, notes and emails should not be cleared out too early.
Where a small automation fits
None of this needs new HR software for a firm of 5 to 30 people, just the records you already keep filled in on time. A small automation can do that, for example:
- A reminder before each person's six month date, with their file attached.
- A sick day form that writes to one log and flags anything payroll needs to know.
- A starter pack that always includes the written statement and the union statement, plus the yearly reminder sent on a set date.
- A dated record each time the harassment policy is reviewed or training is done.
I would build any of these around the spreadsheet, payroll or HR system you already use, and the rules inside them would come from GOV.UK or your adviser, never from me.
If you want help with it
I'm Will Darbey, and Practical Automation is my one-person AI and IT consultancy for small businesses in south west London, and anywhere in the UK remotely. I do this alongside a day job, so I work evenings and weekends and will agree a date with you rather than promise a quick turnaround.
If you want someone to look at how your staff records are kept, start with a free 30 minute call. If a well-kept spreadsheet is all you need, I will say so.