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ARTICLE · 31 MARCH 2026

HR briefing - March 2026

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Welcome to this month's briefing for HR teams and in-house employment counsel – bringing you this month’s employment law highlights in an easy-to-read package.

United KingdomEmployment and HR
Hayley Robinson
Hayley Robinson
Matthew Ramsey
Matthew Ramsey

Welcome to this month's briefing for HR teams and in-house employment counsel – bringing you this month’s employment law highlights in an easy-to-read package.

New rates and limits

A series of new rates and limits have been announced. The key ones to note are as follows.

  2025/26 2026/27
Unfair dismissal compensatory award £118,223 £123,543
Week's pay £719   £751
Max redundancy pay £21,570 £22,530
SMP (and SPP, SAP, ShPP etc.) £187.18 per week £194.32 per week 
SSP £118.75 per week £123.25 per week
National minimum wage (23+ rate) £12.21 per hour £12.71 per hour

In respect of the unfair dismissal compensatory award, this is likely to be the last such increase. The limit is being scrapped entirely with effect (in all likelihood) from 1 January 2027. We have flagged in previous editions the urgent need for employers to get ready for this radical change, and the reduction in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal from

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