Major change to UK sick pay rules coming into force which will impact more than one million workers

Changes are coming to the rules around statutory sick pay in the UK, and up to 1.3 million Brits who previously didn't earn enough to qualify for the safety net will now get something if they miss work through illness.

Under current sick pay rules, Brits who earn below £123 a week aren't entitled to statutory sick pay, which for full time workers is currently worth £116.75 per week.

As it stands, if you're too ill to work then you can get statutory sick pay for up to 28 weeks for the days you were off work, apart from the first three days that you're unwell.

However, in new changes to the rules, people earning below £123 a week will become eligible to claim sick pay.

Next month the rate of statutory sick pay is rising by a couple of quid to £118.75 a week, while the change allowing low earners who previously didn't qualify for it to claim whichever amount is lower out of that or 80 percent of their average weekly pay is expected to come next year.

At the moment, people in the UK who earn under £123 a week aren't able to claim statutory sick pay (Getty Stock Photo)

Basically, the people who used not to earn enough to qualify for sick pay will now be able to get something.

There are about 1.3 million people in the UK who are paid less than £123 a week who will now have access to some form of sick pay, with the government claiming that some people will now be up to £100 better off a week because of this.

Rules around when someone off work ill can claim sick pay are also changing, as the three day qualification period is being dropped and people will be able to receive sick pay from the first day of their illness.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “For too long, sick workers have had to decide between staying at home and losing a day’s pay, or soldiering on at their own risk just to make ends meet.

“No-one should ever have to choose between their health and earning a living, which is why we are making this landmark change.

The changes allowing low earners to claim sick pay are expected to kick in next year (Getty Stock Photo)

“The new rate is good for workers and fair on businesses as part of our plan to boost rights and make work pay, while delivering our plan for change.”

The UK still has one of the lowest rates of sick pay among developed nations, and secretary-general of the Trades Union Congress Paul Nowak said it 'shouldn’t be the end of the story' as he said that in future he'd like to see 'a wider review of the statutory sick pay rate'.

The British Chambers of Commerce said the new changes were a 'fair compromise'.