UK Statutory Employment Rates & Compensation Caps History
A comprehensive, verified archive of statutory redundancy weekly pay caps (ERA 1996 s.162), unfair dismissal compensatory award ceilings (ERA 1996 s.124), Vento injury to feelings guidelines, and the economic erosion of the frozen £30,000 tax exemption (ITEPA 2003 s.403).
| Tax Year | Effective Date | Weekly Pay Cap | Max Basic Award (30 wks) | Unfair Dismissal Cap | Statutory Instrument |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27Current | 6 April 2026 | £751 | £22,530 | £123,543 | SI 2026/310 |
| 2025/26 | 6 April 2025 | £719 | £21,570 | £118,223 | SI 2025/209 |
| 2024/25 | 6 April 2024 | £700 | £21,000 | £115,115 | SI 2024/252 |
| 2023/24 | 6 April 2023 | £643 | £19,290 | £105,707 | SI 2023/317 |
| 2022/23 | 6 April 2022 | £571 | £17,130 | £93,878 | SI 2022/182 |
| 2021/22 | 6 April 2021 | £544 | £16,320 | £89,493 | SI 2021/284 |
| 2020/21 | 6 April 2020 | £538 | £16,140 | £88,519 | SI 2020/205 |
| 2019/20 | 6 April 2019 | £525 | £15,750 | £86,444 | SI 2019/469 |
| 2018/19 | 6 April 2018 | £508 | £15,240 | £83,682 | SI 2018/252 |
| 2017/18 | 6 April 2017 | £489 | £14,670 | £80,541 | SI 2017/175 |
| 2016/17 | 6 April 2016 | £479 | £14,370 | £78,962 | SI 2016/288 |
| 2015/16 | 6 April 2015 | £475 | £14,250 | £78,335 | SI 2015/226 |
| 2014/15 | 6 April 2014 | £464 | £13,920 | £76,574 | SI 2014/382 |
| 2013/14 | 6 April 2013 | £450 | £13,500 | £74,200 | SI 2013/534 |
| 2012/13 | 6 April 2012 | £430 | £12,900 | £72,300 | SI 2012/388 |
| 2011/12 | 6 April 2011 | £400 | £12,000 | £68,400 | SI 2011/173 |
| 2010/11 | 6 April 2010 | £380 | £11,400 | £65,300 | SI 2009/2774 |
| 2009/10 | 6 April 2009 | £380 | £11,400 | £66,200 | SI 2008/3055 |
| 2008/09 | 6 April 2008 | £330 | £9,900 | £63,000 | SI 2007/3270 |
| 2007/08 | 6 April 2007 | £310 | £9,300 | £61,400 | SI 2006/3045 |
| 2006/07 | 6 April 2006 | £290 | £8,700 | £58,400 | SI 2005/3295 |
| 2005/06 | 6 April 2005 | £280 | £8,400 | £56,800 | SI 2004/3052 |
| 2004/05 | 6 April 2004 | £270 | £8,100 | £55,000 | SI 2003/3038 |
| 2003/04 | 6 April 2003 | £260 | £7,800 | £53,500 | SI 2002/2927 |
| 2002/03 | 6 April 2002 | £250 | £7,500 | £52,600 | SI 2001/3801 |
| 2001/02 | 6 April 2001 | £240 | £7,200 | £51,700 | SI 2000/3117 |
| 2000/01 | 6 April 2000 | £230 | £6,900 | £50,000 | SI 1999/3375 |
* Note on Unfair Dismissal Compensatory Award: From 29 July 2013 onwards, under section 124(1ZA) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, the compensatory award is capped at the lower of the statutory ceiling shown above or 52 weeks of the claimant's gross pay. Caps apply strictly to terminations occurring on or after the specified effective date.
Effective Date of Termination (EDT) Rules
Statutory caps are strictly governed by the employee's Effective Date of Termination (EDT). If dismissal takes effect on or after 6 April 2026, the 2026/27 caps (£751/week and £123,543 compensatory ceiling) apply automatically under SI 2026/310.
If dismissal occurred on or before 5 April 2026, the 2025/26 caps (£719/week and £118,223 ceiling) govern the claim, even if the tribunal hearing or settlement execution occurs months later.
Section 203(3) Independent Legal Advice Requirement
Under Section 203(3) of the Employment Rights Act 1996, an employee cannot waive statutory employment rights unless they have received independent legal advice from a qualified, insured relevant adviser (such as an SRA-regulated solicitor).
To ensure the agreement is legally binding, employers standardly pay a capped contribution toward the employee's legal fees (typically £350 to £500+ VAT for a standard sign-off, or higher for complex negotiations) directly to the solicitor upon completion of the agreement. Abortive fees or advice exceeding the cap remain subject to the instructed solicitor's engagement terms.
Download Complete Statutory Rates Archive (2000 – 2026)
Download the full 27-year historical time series of UK statutory redundancy pay weekly caps, maximum basic awards, unfair dismissal compensatory limits, and Vento injury to feelings guidelines in CSV or JSON format.
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Cite This Research & Dataset
Source: SettlementCheck, "UK Statutory Employment Rates & Compensation Caps History (2000-2026)" (2026), based on data from Department for Business and Trade & legislation.gov.uk, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Available at: https://settlementcheck.co.uk/statutory-rates-history/
National press, legal correspondents, HR practitioners, and parliamentary researchers are granted permission to freely quote, cite, and reproduce figures from this analysis. When reporting, please credit SettlementCheck and provide a hyperlink to https://settlementcheck.co.uk/statutory-rates-history/.