Airports, jobcentres, courts, libraries, museums and tax offices face varying degrees of disruption with 750,000 public sector workers expected to join the walkouts.
But schools will bear the brunt of the action.
The National Union of Teachers said that up to 85% of schools in England and Wales will be affected.
The action has been criticised by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the leader of the opposition, Ed
The British Chambers of Commerce said that the 24-hour stoppage will result in tens of thousands of parents having to take a day off work to look after their children.
Director general David Frost said: "Many of those private sector employees affected by these strikes envy the better working terms and conditions enjoyed by those in the public sector."
Manchester parent Helen Eastwood has had to take time off work to look after her son Isaac.
"My younger daughter goes to nursery on Thursdays anyway so I will still have to pay for that on top of taking the day off work," she told Sky News.
"I am feeling torn because I'm cross and annoyed at the knock-on effect of this action.
"The first people you feel annoyed with are at the school for not opening but I don't blame them."
Mike Cherry, policy chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said that small firms were worried about the impact.
"The recovery remains in a fragile state and this action will have a wider impact on the economy as businesses lose productivity - something the economy simply can not afford."
Special needs teacher Mark Baker, from Rochdale, said that a pension of £18,500 that he had expected to receive when he retired at 60, would be cut to £13,500 if government proposals go ahead.
Mr Baker is a regional official for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and insisted that the organisation is renowned for its moderate outlook.
"There must be something serious if a union that doesn't strike is taking strike action," he said.
"To find myself in this position makes me feel resentful. The government has not given me any choices; it has not given the unions any choices.
"It has not offered to negotiate genuinely on these things."
Carole Horstead is head of Spanish at a school in Croydon. She currently pays more than £100 a month towards her pension. She says that under government reforms, the contribution from her salary will rise from six to 10%.
"I see myself being in the classroom a lot longer than I expected, potentially another 20 years, which I really do not relish the thought of.
"I also see the fact that I may not have enough money at the end of it to put my own children through the education that they deserve," she said.
The government is cutting £80bn from public spending and insists that everyone must share the pain. It has described the measures as tough but fair.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said that strikes would not be widely supported:
"The public have a very low tolerance for anything that disrupts their hardworking lifestyles."
The UK Border Agency has warned that passengers travelling into Britain may face long delays at ports and airports as passport officers join the strike.
The impact started last night as immigration and customs officials began striking.
Unions say this is just the beginning of action.
Mark Serwotka, leader of the Public and Commercial Services Union said: "Today we will see hundreds of thousands of civil and public servants on strike. We fully expect to be joined by millions more in the autumn."
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