The following employment law changes will be coming into effect from April 2013:
1. Statutory rates increase:
– 6th April – The weekly rate of statutory sick pay increases from £85.85 to £86.70
– 7th April – the weekly rate of statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay increases from £135.45 to £136.78
2. Changes to national minimum wage legislation are expected to be published at the end of April
3. From 6th April 2013, where an employer proposes to dismiss 100 or more employees through collective redundancy, the consultation period will reduce from at least 90 days before the first dismissal occurs to at least 45 days before the first dismissal occurs.
4. From 6th April, HMRC will introduce Real Time Information (RTI), a new scheme for all employers in the UK, replacing the traditional ‘end of year return’ (P35 and P14) that employers must currently submit for each of their employees.
RTI requires employers to submit more regular ‘real time’ information of their employee’s gross pay deductions either on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on when the employee is being paid. This will demand more payroll administration, not to mention more time to stay on top of legal obligations to avoid the regular penalties that will come into play.
Recently it was announced by the HMRC that employers with fewer than 50 employees can send information to HMRC by the date of their regular payroll run but no later than the end of the tax month until 5th October 2013.
5. From 6th April there will be the introduction of a number of amendments to earnings limits for income tax rates, national insurance contributions and earnings levels for pension’s auto-enrolment.
For more details on the above and guidance on how to implement these changes in your business, contact info@ramshawhr.com
