Payment changes in October 2009  - Melissa Ritchie There are only a few legal changes due in October this year; we do have a very unusual situation where the Government has decided that the maximum week’s pay in redundancy calculations must be increased by £30 in October.  This is unusual as this figure is reviewed each year in February based on the Retail Price Index (RPI) of the previous September.  However, the Government says this increase will mitigate the impact of redundancy on employees.  It is true that if someone is made redundant in this climate then finding a job is likely to be more difficult than last year but this could have a significant financial implication for employers going through redundancies as the costs could increase.  The usual system of using the RPI to guide the maximum weekly pay would have probably meant a drop in the weekly pay as the RPI is so low, sadly we will not now get the review in February next year.  If you are currently going through redundancies which are likely to be finalised at the end of the month you need to be aware that employees are eligible for the new payment if their ‘relevant date’ is on or after 1st October.  This is taken as the day that notice of redundancy expires, i.e. the leave date if you have someone working their notice.  The second change that comes into force in October is the increases to the National Minimum Wage, these, thankfully for employers, are smaller increases than we have seen previously however you will need to note the following:  22+ increase to £5.80 (from £5.73)  18-21 increase to £4.83 (from £4.77)  16-17 increase to £3.57 (from 3.53)  Doesn’t it make you glad that the HSE is going to give you something for free?