Updated 2027 Implementation Timeline for ERA 2025
On 22 October 2026, the government published an updated implementation timeline for measures contained in the Employment Rights Act 2025 (ERA 2025) that will come into force in 2027.
The key changes are:
• 1 January 2027. The provisions on strengthening tipping laws will come into force (having previously been scheduled for October 2026 and “by the end of 2026”).
• March 2027. Dismissal and re-engagement (fire and rehire) protections will come into force (having been pushed back twice from October 2026 and 1 January 2027).
• April 2027. Action plans on gender equality and supporting employees through menopause will become mandatory for private and voluntary sector employers, having become mandatory for public authorities in March 2027 (in line with the current pay gap reporting cycles).
• April 2027. Bereavement leave (including pregnancy loss), banning blacklists drafted by AI, banning blacklisting by third parties and the collective redundancy organisation-wide threshold, come into force.
• August 2027. Electronic balloting for statutory recognition and derecognition ballots comes into force.
• September 2027. The ban on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in workplace harassment or discrimination cases comes into force.
• October 2027. Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers and the reasonableness test to reject a flexible working request come into force.
• December 2027. The regulation of umbrella companies comes into force.
The government has pulled back from its commitment that zero-hours contract measures, including the right to guaranteed hours and the right to reasonable notice and payment for shifts that have been cancelled or changed at short notice, would be introduced in 2027.
The reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months and the removal of the cap on unfair dismissal compensatory awards remain scheduled to come into force on 1 January 2027.
If you need support with policy audits, contract reviews and training workshops in preparation for these legislative changes, please contact our team via hello@starfordlegalhr.com