From this month, April 2026, the legal requirement for employers to keep records of annual leave and holiday pay comes into force. Employers should add this to their current ‘to do list’ linked with the changes outlined in the Employment Rights Act 2025 for April 2026.
At Nockolds HR we have been working with our clients to:
- Provide guidance on what changes are coming into force this month;
- Updating staff handbooks and policies
- Training line managers on the changes to entitlements including: SSP from day one of absence, parental and paternity leave day one rights, bereaved partners paternity leave
- And, guiding HR professionals relating to the unfair dismissal protection and the impact on the probation period (in preparation for January 2027, impacting new employees from 01 July 2026)
In addition and as referenced above, the requirement for employers to keep records to show compliance relating to holiday and holiday pay comes into force. This requirement includes recording holiday entitlements and holiday pay entitlement for a period of six years.
How to record holiday
Maintaining holiday records does not need to be a cumbersome admin task, when the employer has the right software in place to record employee leave and can upload payroll information into their systems to store holiday pay records.
Breathe HR software provides a platform to record annual leave entitlements, allowing employees to book holiday, and carry forward holiday days. The platform allows for an integration of Xero payroll.
For more information on the requirements to record holiday and holiday pay, and to discuss how the Breathe HR software can support your business, please reach out to our team of HR Consultants for advice.