Owing to the continuing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has suspended enforcement of the gender pay gap reporting deadlines for the 2020/2021 reporting year to 5th October 2021.
Under the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/2260) and the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017/172), public sector bodies and private sector employers would have been required to submit their gender pay gap reports by 30th March and 4th April respectively. The suspension of enforcement action effectively means that employers have an additional six months to meet their reporting obligations for 2020/2021.
The EHRC has described the delay as striking a balance between supporting businesses through challenging times and enforcing the important gender pay gap reporting obligations.