{"analytics_identifier":null,"base_path":"/employment-contracts-and-conditions","content_id":"65c41235-b98f-4991-a1cb-fb4b9d1be105","description":"A contract is an agreement between employee and employer setting out implied and explicit terms  and conditions - written statement of particulars, collective agreements","details":{"external_related_links":[],"hide_chapter_navigation":false,"parts":[{"body":"<p>All employees have an employment contract with their employer. A contract is an agreement that sets out an employee’s:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>employment conditions</li>\n  <li>rights</li>\n  <li>responsibilities</li>\n  <li>duties</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>These are called the ‘terms’ of the contract.</p>\n\n<p>Employees and employers must stick to a contract until it ends (for example, by an employer or employee giving notice or an employee being dismissed) or until the terms are changed (usually by agreement between the employee and employer).</p>\n\n<div role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\" class=\"application-notice info-notice\">\n  <p>If a person has an agreement to do some work for someone (like paint their house), this is not an employment contract but a ‘contract to provide services’.</p>\n</div>\n\n<p><a rel=\"external\" href=\"https://www.acas.org.uk/employment-contracts\">Find out more about employment contracts</a> on the <abbr title=\"Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service\">Acas</abbr> (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) website.</p>\n\n<h2 id=\"accepting-a-contract\">Accepting a contract</h2>\n\n<p>As soon as someone accepts a job offer they have a contract with their employer. An employment contract does not have to be written down.</p>\n\n","slug":"overview","title":"Overview"},{"body":"<p>The legal parts of a contract are known as ‘terms’. An employer should make clear which parts of a contract are legally binding.</p>\n\n<p>Contract terms could be:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>in a written contract, or similar document like a written statement of employment</li>\n  <li>verbally agreed</li>\n  <li>in an employee handbook or on a company notice board</li>\n  <li>in an offer letter from the employer</li>\n  <li>required by law (for example, an employer must pay employees at least the National Minimum Wage)</li>\n  <li>in <a href=\"/employment-contracts-and-conditions/collective-agreements\">collective agreements</a> - negotiated agreements between employers and trade unions or staff associations</li>\n  <li>implied terms - automatically part of a contract even if they’re not written down</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h2 id=\"implied-terms\">Implied terms</h2>\n\n<p>If there’s nothing clearly agreed between you and your employer about a particular issue, it may be covered by an implied term - for example:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>employees not stealing from their employer</li>\n  <li>your employer providing a safe and secure working environment</li>\n  <li>a legal requirement like the <a href=\"/holiday-entitlement-rights\">right to the minimum holiday entitlement</a>\n</li>\n  <li>something necessary to do the job like a driver having a valid licence</li>\n  <li>something that’s been done regularly in a company over a long time like paying a Christmas bonus</li>\n</ul>\n","slug":"contract-terms","title":"Contract terms"},{"body":"<p>An employer may have an agreement with employees’ representatives (from trade unions or staff associations) that allows negotiations of terms and conditions like pay or working hours. This is called a collective agreement.</p>\n\n<p>The terms of the agreement could include:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>how negotiations will be organised</li>\n  <li>who will represent employees</li>\n  <li>which employees are covered by the agreement</li>\n  <li>which terms and conditions the agreement will cover</li>\n</ul>\n","slug":"collective-agreements","title":"Collective agreements"},{"body":"<p>An employer must give <a href=\"/employment-status\">employees and workers</a> a document stating the main conditions of employment when they start work. This is known as a ‘written statement of employment particulars’. It is not an employment contract.</p>\n\n<p>The written statement is made up of:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>the main document (known as a ‘principal statement’)</li>\n  <li>a wider written statement</li>\n</ul>\n\n<div role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\" class=\"application-notice info-notice\">\n  <p>The employer must provide the principal statement on the first day of employment and the wider written statement within 2 months of the start of employment.</p>\n</div>\n\n<p>Employers must tell employees or workers about any changes to the written statement. They must do this within one month of making the change.</p>\n\n<div role=\"note\" aria-label=\"Information\" class=\"application-notice info-notice\">\n  <p>There are special rules for agencies on documents that they need to provide to <a href=\"/agency-workers-your-rights/basic-information-you-should-receive\">agency workers</a>.</p>\n</div>\n\n<h2 id=\"the-principal-statement\">The principal statement</h2>\n\n<p>The principal statement must include at least:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>the employer’s name</li>\n  <li>the employee’s or worker’s name, job title or a description of work and start date</li>\n  <li>how much and how often an employee or worker will get paid</li>\n  <li>hours and days of work and if and how they may vary (also if employees or workers will have to work <a href=\"/sunday-working\">on Sundays</a>, <a href=\"/night-working-hours\">during the ‘night period’</a> or <a href=\"/overtime-your-rights/overview\">take overtime</a>)</li>\n  <li>\n<a href=\"/holiday-entitlement-rights\">holiday entitlement</a> (and if that includes public holidays)</li>\n  <li>where an employee or worker will be working and <a href=\"/employer-relocation-your-rights\">whether they might have to relocate</a>\n</li>\n  <li>if an employee or worker works in different places, where these will be and what the employer’s address is</li>\n  <li>how long a job is expected to last (and what the end date is if it’s a fixed-term contract)</li>\n  <li>how long any probation period is and what its conditions are</li>\n  <li>any other benefits (for example, childcare vouchers and lunch)</li>\n  <li>obligatory training, whether or not this is paid for by the employer</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>For employees, it must also include the date that a previous job started if it counts towards a period of continuous employment.</p>\n\n<h3 id=\"working-abroad\">Working abroad</h3>\n\n<p>If an employee or worker has to work outside the UK for more than a month, the principal statement must also include:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>how long they’ll be abroad</li>\n  <li>what currency they’ll be paid in</li>\n  <li>what additional pay or benefits they’ll get</li>\n  <li>terms relating to their return to the UK</li>\n</ul>\n\n<h3 id=\"other-information-the-employer-must-give-on-day-one\">Other information the employer must give on day one</h3>\n\n<p>On the first day of employment the employer must also provide the employee or worker with information about:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>sick pay and procedures</li>\n  <li>other paid leave (for example, maternity leave and paternity leave)</li>\n  <li>notice periods</li>\n</ul>\n\n<p>The employer can choose whether to include this information in the principal statement or provide it in a separate document. If they provide it in a separate document, this must be something that the employee or worker has reasonable access to, such as on the employer’s intranet.</p>\n\n<h2 id=\"the-wider-written-statement\">The wider written statement</h2>\n\n<p>Employers must give employees and workers a wider written statement within 2 months of the start of employment. This must include information about:</p>\n\n<ul>\n  <li>pensions and pension schemes</li>\n  <li><a href=\"/employment-contracts-and-conditions/collective-agreements\">collective agreements</a></li>\n  <li>any other right to non-compulsory training provided by the employer</li>\n  <li>disciplinary and grievance procedures</li>\n</ul>\n\n","slug":"written-statement-of-employment-particulars","title":"Written statement of employment particulars"},{"body":"<p>If an employee or worker has a problem receiving their written statement, they can:</p>\n\n<ol class=\"steps\">\n  <li>\n    <p>Try to solve the problem with their employer informally.</p>\n  </li>\n  <li>\n    <p>If this does not work, <a href=\"/raise-grievance-at-work\">take out a grievance</a> against their employer (employers can also get advice about handling grievances).</p>\n  </li>\n  <li>\n    <p>Take a case to an <a href=\"/employment-tribunals/taking-a-case-to-an-employment-tribunal\">employment tribunal</a> as a last resort.</p>\n  </li>\n</ol>\n\n<p>The tribunal will decide what the employment particulars in the statement should have been.</p>\n\n<h2 id=\"compensation\">Compensation</h2>\n\n<p>If an employee or worker wins a case about another issue (for example, unauthorised deductions from their wage slip), the tribunal may award compensation if there’s been a problem with their written statement as well.</p>\n\n<p>Compensation can be up to 4 weeks’ pay although there’s a limit on how much a tribunal will award for a week’s pay.</p>\n","slug":"problems-with-a-written-statement","title":"Problems with a written 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are other steps you may need to take first if you have not employed someone before.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/get-ready-to-employ-someone","text":"Get ready to employ someone for the first time"}],"type":"list"},{"text":"The rules are different if you want to take on someone with another type of employment status, such as agency staff, freelancers, consultants and contractors.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/contract-types-and-employer-responsibilities","text":"Check your responsibilities when you take on someone with a different employment status and contract type"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Check this process is right for you"},{"contents":[{"text":"You need to advertise the role and interview candidates. You can use a recruitment agency to do this or do it yourself.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"https://www.acas.org.uk/hiring-someone","text":"Find out about recruiting someone yourself on Acas"}],"type":"list"},{"text":"As an employer you must make sure you recruit employees fairly.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/employer-preventing-discrimination/recruitment","text":"Avoid discrimination during recruitment"},{"href":"/recruitment-disabled-people","text":"Make your application process accessible for employees with disabilities or health conditions"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Recruit someone"},{"contents":[{"contents":[{"href":"/check-job-applicant-right-to-work","text":"Find out how to check an applicant's right to work"}],"type":"list"}],"logic":"and","title":"Check they have the right to work in the UK"},{"contents":[{"text":"You may need to check if someone has a criminal record, for example, if they'll be working in healthcare or with children. This is known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/find-out-dbs-check","text":"Find out which DBS check is right for your employee"},{"href":"/dbs-check-applicant-criminal-record","text":"How to do a DBS check"}],"type":"list"}],"logic":"and","title":"Find out which DBS check is right for your employee"},{"contents":[{"contents":[{"href":"https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/new-employers","text":"If you’re employing someone for the first time, use The Pensions Regulator’s tool to find out what you need to do"}],"type":"list"},{"contents":[{"href":"https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/new-employers/im-an-employer-who-has-to-provide-a-pension/declare-your-compliance/ongoing-duties-for-employers","text":"If you already employ people, check your ongoing duties on The Pensions Regulator website"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Check if they need to be put into a workplace pension"},{"contents":[{"text":"When someone accepts a job offer they have a contract with you as their employer.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/national-minimum-wage-rates","text":"Check what the National Minimum Wage is for different ages"},{"href":"/minimum-wage-different-types-work","text":"Check what the National Minimum Wage is for different types of work"},{"href":"/employment-contracts-and-conditions/contract-terms","text":"Check what to include in a contract"},{"href":"/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars","text":"Agree a written statement of employment particulars"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Agree a contract and salary"},{"contents":[{"text":"You must tell HMRC about your new employee on or before their first pay day.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/new-employee","text":"Tell HMRC about a new employee"},{"href":"/new-employee/employee-information","text":"Get their personal details and P45 to work out their tax code"},{"href":"/new-employee/late-p45","text":"If you do not have their P45, use HMRC’s ‘starter checklist’"},{"href":"/running-payroll","text":"Check what to do when you start paying your employee"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Tell HMRC about your new employee"}],"title":"Employ someone: step by step"}},"document_type":"step_by_step_nav","links":{"pages_part_of_step_nav":[{"api_path":"/api/content/employment-contracts-and-conditions","api_url":"https://www.gov.uk/api/content/employment-contracts-and-conditions","base_path":"/employment-contracts-and-conditions","content_id":"65c41235-b98f-4991-a1cb-fb4b9d1be105","document_type":"guide","links":{},"locale":"en","public_updated_at":"2020-04-05T23:01:15Z","schema_name":"guide","title":"Employment contracts","web_url":"https://www.gov.uk/employment-contracts-and-conditions","withdrawn":false}]},"locale":"en","public_updated_at":"2025-11-21T16:06:22Z","schema_name":"step_by_step_nav","title":"Employ someone: step by step","web_url":"https://www.gov.uk/employ-someone","withdrawn":false},{"api_path":"/api/content/start-a-job","api_url":"https://www.gov.uk/api/content/start-a-job","base_path":"/start-a-job","content_id":"4940807a-70a2-451c-9409-e5eddcf73815","details":{"step_by_step_nav":{"steps":[{"contents":[{"text":"You'll usually need your National Insurance number when you start your new job.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/find-national-insurance-number","text":"Find your National Insurance number"}],"type":"list"},{"contents":[{"href":"/apply-national-insurance-number","text":"Apply for a National Insurance number if you do not already have one"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Get your National Insurance number"},{"contents":[{"text":"The offer might be ‘conditional’ or ‘provisional’, which means you may need to give further details to your new employer or pass pre-employment checks.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/job-offers-your-rights","text":"Find out about your rights when accepting a job offer"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Accept the job offer"},{"contents":[{"text":"Give your new employer what they need to complete any pre-employment checks.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/employers-checks-job-applicants","text":"Find out what checks your employer can make"}],"type":"list"},{"contents":[{"href":"/prove-right-to-work","text":"Find out how to prove your right to work"}],"type":"list"},{"contents":[{"href":"/criminal-record-checks-apply-role","text":"Find out about criminal record checks"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Share your details for any employer checks"},{"contents":[{"text":"Your new employer should give you an employment contract. Check the terms before you agree to it.","type":"paragraph"},{"contents":[{"href":"/employment-contracts-and-conditions","text":"Find out about employment contracts"}],"type":"list"}],"title":"Review your employment contract"},{"contents":[{"text":"Tell your current employer that you’re going to leave and when your last day will be. 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