---
title: "Hiring in the United Kingdom"
description: "How to hire employees in the UK: contracts, working hours, holiday, notice periods, employer costs and the ways to hire, with or without a UK entity."
canonical: "https://fronted.com/countries/united-kingdom"
---

# Hiring in the United Kingdom

_How to hire employees in the UK: contracts, working hours, holiday, notice periods, employer costs and the ways to hire, with or without a UK entity._

To hire in the United Kingdom you either employ through your own UK company or use an Employer of Record that employs your people locally for you. With an Employer of Record you can hire in the UK without an entity: contracts, PAYE payroll, National Insurance, pension and HMRC reporting follow UK law from the first day. Contractors are a third option, but only for genuinely independent work.

## Employer costs in the United Kingdom

Employer National Insurance is 15% of earnings above £5,000 a year. The example applies 15% to the full salary to keep it simple. Because the first £417 a month is free of National Insurance, the real figure on a £5,000 salary is about £687. You also pay at least 3% pension on qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270 a year. Paid holiday is part of the normal salary in the UK, so it is not an extra line. Statutory Sick Pay and statutory family pay come on top when they apply.

## Employment contracts in the United Kingdom

Every employee must get a written statement of the main terms on or before their first day. It covers pay, hours, holiday, notice, probation and place of work. Probation is not set by law, and three to six months is common. Before day one you must also check that the person has the right to work in the UK.

## Working hours

There is no fixed legal working week. The Working Time Regulations cap the average at 48 hours a week over 17 weeks, unless the employee opts out in writing. A full-time week is typically 37.5 to 40 hours. Workers get a 20-minute break on days over 6 hours and 11 hours of rest between working days. There is no legal overtime premium, so overtime pay follows the contract.

## Holiday

Workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week and pro rata for part-time staff. Bank holidays can count towards the 28 days, so 25 days plus bank holidays is a common offer. Holiday builds up from the first day, and untaken statutory holiday is paid out when employment ends.

## Parental leave

Statutory Maternity Pay is paid by the employer through payroll: 90% of average weekly earnings for 6 weeks, then the lower of £194.32 a week or 90% for 33 weeks, within up to 52 weeks of maternity leave. Paternity leave is 1 or 2 weeks at the same weekly rate, and since 6 April 2026 it is a day-one right. Shared parental leave lets parents split the leave between them. Employers can usually recover most statutory family pay from HMRC.

## Notice and termination

Statutory notice from the employer is 1 week after one month of service, then 1 week for each full year, up to 12 weeks. The employee must give at least 1 week. Contracts can give more, never less. Unfair dismissal protection currently needs 2 years of service, and the Employment Rights Act 2025 is scheduled to cut this to 6 months from 1 January 2027. You need a fair reason and a fair process.

## Work permits

There is no EU free movement after Brexit. EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status can work, but new arrivals from the EU need a visa like everyone else. Most foreign hires need a Skilled Worker visa, which requires the employer to hold a sponsor licence and the job to meet the skill and salary rules. Every hire needs a right to work check before day one, and employing someone without the right to work can cost up to £45,000 per worker.

## How Fronted can help

Fronted can employ your people in the UK through our own UK entity, or set up your own UK company and run its accounting and payroll when you want one. Either way, you get one dedicated contact, and so does every person we employ.

## What employers ask about hiring in the United Kingdom