April 2020 Pay changes
Prepare for April changes.
April is a big month for employment regulation changes, with increases in the National minimum and national living wage and the Taylor Review or Good Work Plan.
1 April - National Minimum Wage up 6%
1st April is the day the National Minimum / National Living Wage goes up. The increase - of 6% for the adult rate - reaches the government's target of 60% of average earnings by 2020.
The current and new rates are set out here:
| Current Rate | | From 1 April 2020 | |
| 25+ | £8.21 | 25+ | £8.72 |
| 21-24 | £7.70 | 21-24 | £8.20 |
| 18-20 | £6.15 | 18-20 | £6.45 |
| 16-17 | £4.35 | 16-17 | £4.55 |
| Apprentices aged under 19 or in first year of apprenticeship | £3.90 | Apprentices aged under 19 or in first year of apprenticeship | £4.15 |
| Accommodation Offset | £7.55 per day | Accommodation Offset | £8.20 per day |
You must be at least:
- school leaving age to get the National Minimum Wage
- aged 25 to get the National Living Wage - the minimum wage will still apply for workers aged 24 and under
Other changes in April include:
Maternity, Paternity and Shared Parental Pay
| | From 7 April 2019 | From 5 April 2020 |
| Statutory Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Pay | £148.68 | £151.20 |
Parental Bereavement Pay
| | from 5 April 2020 |
| Parental Bereavement Pay | £151.20 or 90% of average earnings, whichever is the lower |
Statutory Sick Pay
| | From 6 April 2019 | From 6 April 2020 |
| Statutory Sick Pay | £94.25 | £95.85 |
| Earnings Threshold | £118.00 | £120.00 |
Redundancy, Unfair Dismissal and other penalties
| | From 6 April 2019 | From 6 April 2020 |
| Limit on weeks pay for calculating Redundancy Pay / Basic Award in Unfair Dismissal/ Recovery from DTI on insolvency | £525 | £538 |
| Maximum Compensatory Award for Unfair Dismissal (N.B. There is no upper limit in Whistleblowing and Health and Safety dismissal cases) | The lower of £86,444 or a years pay | The lower of £88,519 or a years pay |
| Failure to inform / consult - collective redundancy | Up to 90 days actual pay | Up to 90 days actual pay |
| Failure to inform / consult - TUPE transfer | Up to 13 weeks actual pay | Up to 13 weeks actual pay |
| Failure to give s1 ERA particulars | 2-4 weeks pay (max £525 per week) | 2 weeks pay (max £538 per week) |
| Breach of right to be accompanied | 2 weeks pay (max £525 per week) | 2 weeks pay (max £538 per week) |
| minimum Basic Award for TU; H&S; Ee Rep and WTR cases | £6408 | £6562 |
It's important to remember that all workers must be paid at least the NMW as their basic pay rate. Where supplements are paid (for example, for working overtime or working at “unsocial” hours), these cannot be taken into account when calculating whether the NMW has been paid.