There are a significant number of changes coming into force in April 2025

  • Increase in limits on awards in employment tribunals effective from 6 April 2025:  The Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2025 increases the limits applying to certain awards of employment tribunals and other amounts payable under employment legislation: 
    • The maximum amount of a compensatory award for unfair dismissal is increased from £115,115 to £118,223. 
    • The maximum amount of a “week’s pay” for the purpose of calculating a redundancy payment or for various awards including the basic or additional award of compensation for unfair dismissal is increased from £700 to £719. 
    • The minimum basic award for certain unfair dismissals (including health and safety dismissals) will increase from £8,533 to £8,763.
  • Increase to National Minimum Wage:  From 1 April 2025, the national minimum wage is increased for workers:
    • National Living Wage for those aged 21 or over will increase from £11.44 to £12.21.
    • For 18-20 year olds the minimum wage will increase from £8.60 to £10.00.
    • Apprentice minimum wage will increase from £6.40 to £7.55.
  • Changes to statutory payments: Changes to statutory rates payable with effect from 6 April:
    • Statutory maternity pay prescribed rate, statutory paternity pay, statutory adoption pay, statutory shared parental pay and statutory parental bereavement pay will increase to £187.18 per week from £184.03.
    • Statutory sick pay will increase to £118.75 per week from £116.75.
  • Neonatal care leave and pay comes into force for births or adoptions on or after 6 April 2025.  The provision is a day one right to neonatal care leave and a right to statutory neonatal care leave pay where an employee has at least 26 weeks continuous service and earnings of at least the lower earnings limit.  The leave is a right to up to 12 weeks leave.  The employee must have a parental or personal relationship with the child who is receiving neonatal care for an uninterrupted period of at least seven days starting within 28 days of the birth.  For further information on the right please see our previous blog post New Neonatal Care Rights: A Step Forward for Working Parents | Global Workplace Insider and our recent webinar Statutory neonatal leave and pay: What do employers need to know? | United Kingdom | Global law firm | Norton Rose Fulbright