The compensation limits applying to certain employment claims will increase with effect from 6 April 2021. The rates of Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay will also rise from April 2021.

Compensation limits

The changes come into effect from 6 April 2021 and the new limits apply when the appropriate act – for example, termination of employment – occurs on or after 6 April 2021.

The new limits are:

  • A "week's pay" for the purposes of calculating both the basic award in unfair dismissal cases and statutory redundancy payments will be capped at £544 – the current limit is £538.
  • Consequently, statutory redundancy pay will increase, with the maximum payment increasing to £16,320.

Compensation for unfair dismissal

  • Compensation for unfair dismissal claims is split into a "basic" award and a "compensatory" award. The basic award is calculated in the same way as statutory redundancy pay and will, therefore, increase as described above.
  • The maximum compensatory award for unfair dismissal will now be £89,493 – the current limit is £88,519. The separate cap of one year's gross pay on "ordinary" unfair dismissal compensatory awards still applies so the maximum award will therefore now be the lower of one year's pay and £89,493.

Statutory pay rates

  • From 6 April 2021, the statutory sick pay rate will increase from £95.85 per week to £96.35.
  • From 4 April 2021, the rate of Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Adoption Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay will increase from £151.20 per week to £151.97.

Disclaimer

This briefing is for guidance purposes only. RadcliffesLeBrasseur LLP accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any action taken or not taken in relation to this note and recommends that appropriate legal advice be taken having regard to a client's own particular circumstances.

Originally published 22 March 2021.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.