As 2016 continues to fly by, your organisation should be familiar with some of the 2016 employment law changes. While this is not a comprehensive list of all the reforms that have been introduced in 2016, it should provide an overview of those which will have the most prevalent or significant impact on your businesses:

• The National Living Wage (April 2016): A new minimum ‘living wage’ of £7.20 per hour was introduced for all workers who are at least 25 years of age.

  

• Employer NICs abolished for apprentices under the age of 25 (6th April 2016): Employers no longer have to pay Class 1 national insurance contributions (NICs) on earnings up to the upper earnings limit for apprentices younger than 25 years old.
• State Pension Regulations 2015 (6th April 2016): A single-tier, flat-rate (£155.65 per week) affects people who reach State Pension age from 6th April 2016 onwards who have contributed at least 10 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions (or 35 years if they have no National Insurance record before 6th April 2016).
• Compulsory gender pay reporting (2016): Employers—including private companies and voluntary sector organisations that employ at least 250 individuals—are now required to publish information showing whether or not there are differences in gender pay.
• Childcare Payments Act 2014 (2016): The new benefit scheme allows working parents to claim 20 per cent of their childcare costs (up to a maximum of £2,000 per child) annually.
• Childcare Bill (April 2016): This bill allows parents (one of whom must be employed) up to 30 hours of free childcare a week for their 3- to 4-year-old children.
• Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (April 2016): All organisations are now required to maintain and keep open for public inspection a register listing of persons having significant control (PSC). Individuals that are identified as PSCs are required to provide relevant information to the company.
• Salary requirement for Tier 2 workers (6th April 2016): UK migrant workers who apply to settle here under the Tier 2 general and sportsperson categories are now required to earn at least £35,000.
• Immigration Bill (April 2016): This bill intends to introduce new penalties for illegal workers and employers that knowingly hire illegal workers. Additionally, measures have been put into place to bar illegal migrants from accessing housing, driving licences and bank accounts.

Want to know more about how SIB can help you with your Employers Liability insurance? Give us a call on 0113 250 0377