UK employment law: what's changing and when
Every Employment Rights Act 2025 reform and adjacent UK employment-law change on one page, with confirmed dates where they exist, and who handles it if you hire through Teamed.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 and is commencing in stages through 2027. As of 15 July 2026, several measures are already in force (trade union reforms, day-one family leave, Statutory Sick Pay reform), the next major wave lands 1 January 2027 (unfair dismissal reform and fire-and-rehire restrictions), and two measures, zero-hours contract reform and extended bereavement leave, are still expected in 2027 without a fixed date.
The full timeline
| What's changing | Status | When | Who handles this at Teamed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Rights Act 2025 receives Royal Assent | In force | 18 December 2025 | Contracts and policies already track the Act |
| Trade union reforms in force | In force | 18 February 2026 | Covered under Teamed's UK employment framework |
| National Living Wage rises to £12.71/hour | In force | 1 April 2026 | Applied automatically in UK payroll |
| SSP payable from day one; Lower Earnings Limit removed | In force | 6 April 2026 | Calculated correctly in UK payroll |
| Day-one paternity and unpaid parental leave; Fair Work Agency established | In force | 6 to 7 April 2026 | Reflected in UK contracts from day one |
| New six-year holiday record-keeping duty | In force | 6 April 2026 | Records kept automatically in UK payroll |
| New pay-period salary compliance rule for sponsors | In force | 8 April 2026 ‡ | Sponsorship risk removed entirely under an EOR |
| Unfair dismissal qualifying period falls to 6 months; compensation cap removed | Confirmed date | 1 January 2027 | Applied automatically to every dismissal |
| Fire-and-rehire restrictions in force | Confirmed date | 1 January 2027 | Contract variations run through a compliant process |
| Third-party harassment duty; tribunal time limit extends to 6 months | Confirmed date | October 2026 ‡ | Policies updated ahead of commencement |
| Zero-hours and guaranteed-hours contract duty | Expected | Expected 2027 ‡ | Will be reflected once regulations are set |
| Extended bereavement leave, including pregnancy loss under 24 weeks | Expected | Expected 2027 ‡ | Will be reflected once regulations are set |
How to read this
Status reflects whether a measure is already in force, has a confirmed commencement date, has only an expected timeframe, or is still under consultation. Commencement dates for the Employment Rights Act 2025 have moved before, most recently in a revised roadmap, so this page is reviewed regularly and figures are checked against primary sources on the dates shown.
Every one of these changes lands on your contracts, policies or payroll eventually. When Teamed is your legal employer, we track the roadmap and update what you need, when it actually commences, so a slipping date is never your problem to catch.
