Pay & benefits
Overtime pay: UK rules, rates and calculations
UK law does not require time-and-a-half. Your contract sets any overtime rate, but minimum wage, working-time and holiday-pay rules still protect you.
UK employment rights, in plain English
Know where you stand at work.
Clear guides to pay, leave, contracts, dismissal and discrimination. Each one is dated, written for people rather than lawyers, and linked to the law it rests on.
Popular: Notice periods Redundancy Holiday pay Sick pay
Find your situation
What is happening at work?
- 01I have been dismissedCan they let me go like this?
- 02I am at risk of redundancyWhat am I owed, and what must they do?
- 03My pay looks wrongMinimum wage, overtime, deductions.
- 04I am off sickSick pay, fit notes, getting back.
- 05I am pregnant or a new parentLeave, pay and protection from unfair treatment.
- 06I am being treated unfairlyDiscrimination, harassment, bullying.
- 07They want to change my contractVariations, employer duties, zero hours.
- 08I am handing in my noticeHow much notice, and what happens to holiday.
Browse by topic
Nine hubs, 223 guides
- 19 guides Pay & benefits Minimum wage, sick pay, overtime, pensions and getting paid correctly. Open hub →
- 31 guides Hours & leave Working time, breaks, holiday, family leave and flexible working. Open hub →
- 23 guides Contracts & status Employee, worker or self-employed; contracts, zero hours and agency work. Open hub →
- 28 guides Discrimination & equality Protected characteristics, harassment, equal pay and reasonable adjustments. Open hub →
- 42 guides Health & safety Risk, injury, stress, hazards and what employers must do about them. Open hub →
- 32 guides Discipline & termination Disciplinaries, dismissal, redundancy, notice and settlement agreements. Open hub →
- 22 guides Unions & employee voice Joining a union, recognition, collective bargaining and whistleblowing. Open hub →
- 19 guides Compliance & enforcement Tribunals, Acas, enforcement bodies and what happens when rules are broken. Open hub →
- 7 guides Specific work situations Remote work, gig work, apprentices, and rules that depend on your job. Open hub →
Start here
Featured guides
Pay & benefits
National Minimum Wage: rates and rights
A rate above the legal minimum can still leave you underpaid after deductions. Check what counts as pay and what to do if it falls short.
Discrimination & equality
Menopause at work: what are my rights?
There is no statutory menopause leave. You can still ask for changes at work, claim sick pay if eligible and challenge discrimination.
Hours & leave
Maternity leave and pay: the UK rules
A year's leave is yours from your first day as an employee. What you are paid, when it starts and the job you return to are separate questions.
Contracts & status
Zero-hours contracts: rights and reforms explained
What you can claim now, what depends on employee status, and why the promised guaranteed-hours offer is not yet a right.
Calculators
Put a number on it
- Notice periodHow much notice you owe or are owed, and the date employment ends.Open calculator →
- Holiday entitlementDays of paid leave for any pattern: part-year, part-time or irregular hours.Open calculator →
- Statutory Sick PayWhat you should be paid from your first sick day, and for how long.Open calculator →
- Redundancy payThe tax-free lump sum the law guarantees, year by year.Open calculator →
2026–27 reform tracker
The Employment Rights Act 2025, phase by phase
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In force
Tribunal claim limits change
Many three-month limits became six months where the relevant date is on or after today. Earlier events do not acquire extra time.
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Next up
Harassment and trade union rights scheduled
Stronger harassment prevention and third-party protections, union access and representative rights are due to start.
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Scheduled
Unfair dismissal reforms scheduled
The qualifying period falls to six months and the ordinary compensatory-award cap disappears for dismissals with an effective termination date from this day. Fire-and-rehire protections and…
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Date to be set
Hours, bereavement and other reforms
Guaranteed hours, shift-notice rights, pregnancy-loss bereavement leave and mandatory equality plans have no precise start date yet.
Drawn from the reform tracker, which gives each change its date, who it affects and the source.
How we work
A guide you can check
- 1Dated
Every guide shows when it was last reviewed, and figures carry the date they took effect.
- 2Sourced
Claims link to legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK, Acas or nidirect, with a sources list at the foot.
- 3Plain
Worked examples for money and time, and a clear line between what is in force and what is coming.