Guidance

The changes gangmasters need to tell FWA about to keep a licence up to date

Published 7 April 2026

This guidance explains what you need to do to keep your Fair Work Agency (FWA) gangmaster’s licence up to date.  

It covers: 

• changing your Principal Authority (PA) 

• nominating or changing an alternative contact 

• changes to named individuals, directors and partners 

• other changes you must tell us about 

• if your legal entity changes 

• what happens if your business goes into bankruptcy, administration or liquidation 

• licence transfers 

• how to renew a licence, including during an appeal 

Changing your Principal Authority (PA) 

Every licence must have a PA. They must be an employee of the business who’s responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. 

FWA checks and approves PAs before they are added to a licence. 

If you’re a sole trader, you cannot change your PA because the licence is issued to you personally. 

How to request a change 

The current PA should contact FWA to ask us to change the PA.

If the current PA has left the business or has died, the request can come from: 

• an alternative contact already recorded with FWA 

• a director or company secretary (for companies) 

• an officer or governing member (for unincorporated associations) 

• a partner (for partnerships) 

You must tell us within 20 working days if your PA changes. You could be breaching Licensing Standard 1.4 if you do not. 

We’ll then send a form for the proposed PA to complete. We’ll also ask for proof of identity for the new PA. 

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

How FWA approves the new PA 

After we get your form, we’ll check details about the new PA with other government departments, regulators and enforcement bodies.  

We might also contact you or carry out a compliance inspection. There’s separate guidance on compliance inspections. 

If approved, the new PA will be authorised and listed on the public register.

If we decide the person is not fit to act as a gangmaster, we’ll refuse the request and tell you what this means for the licence. 

While you wait for approval 

Until the new PA is authorised, only people already named on the licence can supply workers to the regulated sectors. 

If no one else is named, the business must stop supplying workers to the regulated sectors. 

In some cases, we might temporarily add a named individual so the business can continue trading. 

Nominate or change an alternative contact for the PA  

The PA can contact FWA for a form to add, change or remove an alternative contact. You can have more than 1 alternative contacts. 

The alternative contact can help manage the licence and renew it. 

The alternative contact cannot: 

• be authorised to act as a gangmaster – this means they cannot supply workers to the regulated sectors 

• be named on the licence 

• appear on the public register

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

Changes to named individuals, directors and partners

Named individuals 

A named individual is someone you employ who negotiates with labour users and supplies workers.  

You must tell us within 20 working days if a named individual changes. You could be breaching Licensing Standard 1.4 if you do not. 

If your turnover is less than £5 million   

If your turnover in the regulated sectors is less than £5 million, all named individuals must be named on the licence.  

If they are not named on the licence, they cannot negotiate with labour users or supply workers. 

The PA or alternative contact can contact us for the form to add or remove a named individual. 

We might do further checks with other government departments, regulators and enforcement bodies.  

We might also contact you or carry out a compliance inspection. There’s separate guidance on compliance inspections.

A named individual is authorised only for the licence they’re named on. If that licence expires or is revoked, their authorisation ends. 

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

If your turnover is £5 million or more  

If your turnover in the regulated sectors is £5 million or more, you can: 

• have a named individual, or 

• list the job titles of all staff who are authorised to negotiate with labour users and supply workers – these will appear on the public register.

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

Directors, company secretaries and partners 

Directors, company secretaries and partners are not automatically authorised to act as gangmasters. 

The PA or alternative contact will need to contact us to add them to the licence. We’ll then send them the authorisation form.

You must tell us within 20 working days if any director, company secretary or partner changes. 

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

Other changes you must tell us about 

The licence holder must tell us within 20 working days if: 

• your trading name changes or you start using a new one 

• the PA, a director, company secretary or partner is convicted of a criminal offence or receives a civil sanction 

• your contact details change – for example, you address, email or phone number 

You could be breaching Licensing Standard 1.4 if you do not tell us about any of these changes. Deliberately failing to notify may lead to revocation. 

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

Changes to your legal entity 

Licensing standard 1.4 covers changes to your legal entity. 

If your legal entity changes, for example you become a new company, you must apply for a new gangmaster’s licence. 

The new entity cannot trade under the old licence.  

If you operate as a group, each company must hold its own licence. 

Contact us as early as possible to avoid unlicensed trading.  

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

Bankruptcy, administration or liquidation 

Licensing standard 1.4 covers bankruptcy, administration and liquidation. 

Bankruptcy 

The licence holder must tell us within 20 working days if bankruptcy proceedings start against them. We’ll then assess if they remain fit to hold a licence. 

Administration 

The licence holder must tell us within 20 working days if the company enters administration. 

You must give: 

• reasons for the administration 

• details of the appointed administrator 

We may revoke your licence. 

If another business buys assets or takes over trading, it must apply for its own licence. 

Liquidation 

The licence holder must tell us within 20 working days if the company is liquidated, wound up or dissolved. 

You must give: 

• reasons for liquidation 

• details of the liquidator 

We’ll revoke or expire the licence if the business no longer exists. You could be prosecuted if you trade after your licence is cancelled. 

Contact us by email at licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk, or call 0345 161 6000.

Licence transfers 

The licence holder can request to transfer a licence before it expires, but we’ll normally refuse.

Any new legal entity must apply for its own licence. 

Transfers cannot be requested after a licence has expired. 

A licence expires if: 

• it is not renewed before the expiry date  

• your Companies House number or Unique Taxpayer Reference changes 

Licence renewals 

A gangmasters licence lasts for 1 year. The expiry date is on the licence certificate. It’s your responsibility to check it’s in date. 

You can renew your licence online. You can do this 6 weeks before your licence expires.

We’ll also send you this link in a reminder email 6 weeks before your licence expires. Check your email spam folder if you do not get a reminder. You should also add licensing@fairworkagency.gov.uk to your safe senders list. 

If you do not renew in time, the licence will be expired. 

You must still renew in the normal way if your licence is being revoked without immediate effect and you want to continue trading during the appeal period.