A plain English guide to your rights at work in the UK. Click any section to expand it and find out what you are entitled to — with links to our calculators and GOV.UK for more detail.
All workers aged 16 and over are entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage. For workers aged 21 and over the National Living Wage applies — £12.21/hour in 2025/26. Your employer cannot pay you less than this regardless of what your contract says.
Check your minimum wage →You are entitled to a written payslip on or before every pay day. It must show your gross pay, deductions (tax, NI, pension) and net pay. Since April 2019, payslips must also show the number of hours worked for variable pay employees.
Workers cannot be forced to work more than 48 hours per week on average (calculated over 17 weeks) unless they voluntarily opt out in writing. You are entitled to an 11-hour rest break between working days, one day off per week and a 20-minute break if you work more than 6 hours.
Men and women doing equivalent work must receive equal pay and contractual benefits. If you believe you are being paid less than a colleague of a different sex doing equivalent work, you can raise a grievance or make a claim to an Employment Tribunal.
Full-time workers are entitled to a minimum of 28 days paid holiday per year (5.6 weeks). This can include bank holidays. Part-time workers receive a pro-rata equivalent.
Calculate your holiday pay →There is no right to paid sick leave beyond Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) of £116.75/week (2025/26), payable from the 4th day of illness. Many employers offer enhanced sick pay — check your contract.
Calculate SSP →Eligible employees are entitled to up to 52 weeks maternity leave and up to 2 weeks paternity leave. Statutory Maternity Pay is paid for up to 39 weeks. Statutory Paternity Pay is paid for 1 or 2 weeks.
Calculate maternity pay →Employees with a year or more of service can take up to 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave per child (up to age 18), up to 4 weeks per year. This is separate from maternity/paternity leave.
After 2 years of continuous employment you are protected from unfair dismissal. Your employer must have a fair reason (conduct, capability, redundancy, legal restriction or SOSR) and follow a fair procedure. Claims must be made to an Employment Tribunal within 3 months.
Check your redundancy rights →Wrongful dismissal applies from day one of employment — it occurs when your employer dismisses you without following the terms of your contract, typically by not giving proper notice or payment in lieu.
Calculate your notice period →With 2 or more years of service you are entitled to statutory redundancy pay, proper notice, meaningful consultation and consideration for suitable alternative employment. You also have the right to time off to look for new work.
Calculate redundancy pay →If your employer makes your working conditions so intolerable that you have no choice but to resign, this may constitute constructive dismissal. You would need to show a serious or repeated breach of contract by your employer. Seek legal advice promptly.
The Equality Act 2010 protects workers from discrimination based on 9 protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
Direct discrimination (treating someone worse because of a protected characteristic), indirect discrimination (a policy that disadvantages a protected group), harassment and victimisation are all unlawful.
Workers who make a "protected disclosure" — reporting wrongdoing in the public interest — are protected from dismissal and detriment. You cannot be dismissed or penalised for blowing the whistle on illegal activity, health and safety risks or financial fraud.
From April 2024 all employees can request flexible working from day one of employment (previously required 26 weeks). Your employer must consider the request seriously and can only refuse on specific business grounds. They must respond within 2 months.
Since April 2020 all employees and workers are entitled to a written statement of employment particulars from day one. This must include pay, hours, holiday entitlement, notice periods and other key terms.
Zero hours contracts are legal but workers on them still have rights — including national minimum wage, holiday pay and protection from discrimination. They cannot be penalised for working for other employers.
If the business you work for is sold or a service you work on is transferred to another provider, TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings) regulations protect your employment. Your terms and conditions transfer with you and you cannot be dismissed solely because of the transfer.
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