We all can’t believe it’s almost April already. This means that all the big changes in business are just around the corner. With employment law changes 2019 are happening in April, we want to give you some top tips to make these changes less stressful.
Prepare for Statutory Pay Rates Increase 2019
Staff are entitled to a full year of statutory pay as part of their maternity leave. This is the basic pay an employer is expected to pay. The current rate of statutory pay is £145.18 a week. It can also be 90% of the employees average weekly pay if less than the statutory rate. This is an employment law changes 2019 that you must plan in advance.
Statutory pay will rise to £148.68 in April 2019. It is always expected that the statutory maternity and paternity rates rise every April. In addition, you must include this in your business plan every year.
It is also crucial that you consider statutory sick pay in your plan as this will also increase from £92.05 to £94.25 in April. This information will help you to plan your budget for 2019 more accurately. We also encourage you to look at your policies such as family-friendly benefits and make appropriate amendments.
Prepare for Automatic enrolment contributions increase
Another employment law changes 2019 is automatic enrolment contributions increase. The minimum you and your employees are expected to pay into your automatic enrolment workplace pension scheme is planned to increase. The rate in 2018 overall was 5% with the employer paying 2% and the employee paying 3%. This will increase to 8% overall in 2019 with employers contributing 3% and staff contributing 5%.
If you have employees in a pension scheme, you must put this in place to ensure the minimum amount of pension contributions are being paid. The amount an employer and staff member pay depends on the pension scheme you have chosen. If you would like further help with employment law changes 2019, contact our team now. If you don’t have staff in an automatic enrolment scheme or you are paying above the expected rate, you don’t have to to take further action.
For more information on employment law changes 2019, contact us on 01383 668178 or email us through our website.