Employment Rights Act 2025 — Full Implementation Timeline

The Act received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025. Implementation is phased across 2026–2028. This page lists every significant change, its expected commencement date, and the relevant section of the Act.

Note: Commencement dates for most provisions are set by secondary legislation (Commencement Orders). Dates shown reflect the Government's published timetable as of April 2026. Always verify against the latest GOV.UK guidance.

Now

April 2026 — In Force Now

These provisions commenced on 6 April 2026

Statutory Sick Pay — Day 1 entitlement

ERA 2025, s.8–10

● SSP payable from the first day of sickness — the 3 qualifying "waiting days" are abolished
● Lower earnings limit (previously £123/week) removed — all employees qualify regardless of earnings
● Right applies from the first day of employment — no minimum service period
● Rate for 2026/27: £123.25 per week (£24.65/day for a 5-day worker)

Read full SSP guide →

Paternity Leave — Day 1 Right

ERA 2025, s.14

● Paternity leave is now available from the first day of employment — previously required 26 weeks' service
● Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP at £184.03/week for 2026/27) still requires 26 weeks' continuous service — leave and pay are separate entitlements
● Employees in their first 26 weeks may take the leave unpaid (or receive contractual pay if your policy provides it)

Parental Leave — Day 1 Right

ERA 2025, s.15

● Unpaid parental leave (18 weeks per child) now available from day 1 of employment
● Previously required 1 year of continuous service
● Maximum 4 weeks per year per child can be taken

Flexible Working — Default Right

ERA 2025, s.16–17

● Right to request flexible working is now a day 1 right (previously 26 weeks)
● Employers must consult before refusing — a refusal without consultation is unlawful
● Employers must state specific business reasons for any refusal (choosing from a statutory list)

Oct

October 2026 — Coming Soon

Expected commencement: 1 October 2026

Zero-Hours Contracts — Shift Notice and Cancellation Payment Rights

ERA 2025, s.3–4

● Workers on variable hours must receive "reasonable notice" before a shift is scheduled
● Workers have a right to payment if a shift is cancelled without reasonable notice
● "Reasonable" defined in secondary legislation — expected to be at least 72 hours
● Note: The right to guaranteed hours after a reference period is a separate provision expected in 2027

Read full zero-hours guide →

Employment Tribunal Time Limits Extended

ERA 2025, s.35

● Time limit for bringing most employment tribunal claims doubles from 3 months to 6 months
● Applies to: unfair dismissal, discrimination, detriment claims, notice pay, holiday pay
● Early conciliation period does not count towards the time limit (as now)
● Increases exposure period for employers — more claims will be in time

Trade Union Access and Recognition

ERA 2025, s.40–55

● Trade unions gain a right of access to workplaces for recruitment and organising purposes
● Statutory recognition threshold reduced from 50% to 40% of bargaining unit
● Derecognition rules tightened — employer-initiated derecognition harder to achieve
● Blacklisting protections extended and enhanced

Jan

1 January 2027 — Major Changes

Expected commencement: 1 January 2027

Unfair Dismissal — Qualifying Period Reduced to 6 Months

ERA 2025, s.20–25

● Qualifying period reduced from 2 years to 6 months
● No "initial period" or lighter-touch process — the proposed initial period was dropped in the House of Lords. Full fair procedure applies from 6 months.
● Full ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures applies from 6 months' service
● Automatically unfair dismissal reasons (whistleblowing, pregnancy, protected characteristics) continue to apply from day 1 — unchanged
● Applies to dismissals on or after 1 January 2027 — not retrospective

Read full unfair dismissal guide →

Fire and Rehire — Restrictions Tightened

ERA 2025, s.22–23

● Dismissal for the purpose of re-engaging on worse terms is automatically unfair in almost all cases from 1 January 2027
● Applies to restricted variations: pay, pensions, hours, shifts, and time off
● Narrow exception: employer facing genuine financial difficulty that cannot reasonably be avoided otherwise
● Interim relief applications available — employee can seek continued employment pending tribunal
● Enhanced compensation where dismissal is automatically unfair under this provision

2027

2027 — Further Changes

Expected across 2027 — exact dates subject to secondary legislation

Fair Work Agency — Already Launched (7 April 2026)

ERA 2025, s.60–70

● Launched 7 April 2026 — a new single enforcement body replacing HMRC National Minimum Wage enforcement, the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
● Enforces minimum wage, holiday pay, and agency worker regulations
● Power to bring tribunal claims on behalf of workers
● Named employer sanctions scheme for NMW non-compliance

Zero-Hours Contracts — Right to Guaranteed Hours (expected 2027)

ERA 2025, s.1–7

● Workers on zero-hours or low-hours contracts gain the right to guaranteed hours after a reference period
● Reference period: expected to be 12 weeks — exact length not yet confirmed in secondary legislation
● Employer must offer a contract reflecting actual average hours worked in the reference period
● Worker may choose to remain on zero-hours — the right is to an offer, not a mandatory change
● Sectors most affected: hospitality, retail, social care, logistics
● Note: shift notice and cancellation payment rights are separate and take effect October 2026

Read full zero-hours guide →

Pregnancy and Maternity Dismissal Protections — Enhanced (expected 2027)

ERA 2025, s.26–28

● Not yet in force — these provisions are subject to further consultation, expected 2027
● Will extend protection period after return from maternity leave to 6 months (currently 2 weeks)
● Will shift burden of proof to employer to demonstrate dismissal was not connected to pregnancy/maternity
● Existing protections under ERA 1996 and Equality Act 2010 continue to apply in the meantime

Mandatory Menopause Action Plans (spring 2027 — 250+ employees only)

ERA 2025, s.30

● Employers with 250+ employees must publish a menopause action plan — smaller employers are not affected by the mandatory requirement
● Currently voluntary for 250+ employers — mandatory from spring 2027
● Plan must include reasonable adjustments policy and support measures
● Modelled on existing gender pay gap reporting obligations
● Failure to publish is enforceable by the Equality and Human Rights Commission

Collective Redundancy — Enhanced Consultation

ERA 2025, s.32–34

● Minimum consultation period increased from 45 days to 90 days for 100+ redundancies
● Threshold for collective consultation reduced from 20 to 10 in a 90-day period
● Multi-site employers: headcount calculated across all sites, not per establishment

Equality Action Plans (Gender Pay Gap)

ERA 2025, s.31

● Employers with 250+ employees must publish an equality action plan alongside their gender pay gap report
● Plan must include steps to address identified gaps
● Progress reviewed annually alongside GPG reporting

2028+

2028 and Beyond

Subject to consultation and further secondary legislation

Right to Disconnect

Under consultation

● Workers' right not to respond to work communications outside contracted hours
● Modelled on Irish and French legislation
● Consultation expected 2026–27, commencement TBC

Single Status "Worker" Reform

Under consultation

● Government consultation on simplifying employment status to two categories (employee / genuinely self-employed)
● Would eliminate the intermediate "worker" category — platform and gig workers most affected
● No confirmed commencement date

Sources

Last updated: 12 April 2026. Section references are approximate — consult the full Act text for precision.

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