Last updated May 2026Reviewed against UK gov.uk sources
From April 2020, all employees must receive their written statement of employment particulars on or before their first day of work. This template covers all the required particulars under the Employment Rights Act 1996 (as amended), including the changes introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025. Copy it, fill in the bracketed sections, and sign two copies — one for you, one for the employee.
Direct answer
A compliant written statement of employment particulars covering all the terms required by UK law from day one of employment. Updated for the Employment Rights Act 2025 and the April 2026 changes. Use the key facts, step list and official source links on this page to confirm the decision before you spend money or register anything.
- Required by law
- Day one of employment
- Legislation
- Employment Rights Act 1996
- Updated for
- Employment Rights Act 2025
- Probation cap
- 6 months (from April 2026)
Employment contract template — copy and paste
STATEMENT OF EMPLOYMENT PARTICULARS
(Written Statement — Employment Rights Act 1996, as amended)
Employer: [EMPLOYER NAME]
[EMPLOYER ADDRESS]
[Company no. / UTR if applicable]
Employee: [EMPLOYEE FULL NAME]
[EMPLOYEE ADDRESS]
Job title: [JOB TITLE]
Start date: [DD MONTH YYYY]
Continuous employment begins: [DD MONTH YYYY]
[If this is a new role, this is the same as the start date.
If the employee was previously employed by a related company,
state the earlier date.]
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1. PAY
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Basic pay: £[AMOUNT] per [hour / week / month / year]
Pay frequency: [Weekly / Monthly] — paid on the [last working day /
[DATE] of each month]
Method: Bank transfer to the employee's nominated account
Deductions: Income tax and National Insurance will be deducted
under PAYE. Pension contributions will be deducted
in accordance with clause 8.
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2. HOURS OF WORK
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Normal hours: [X] hours per week
Working pattern: [e.g. Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm, with a 1-hour
unpaid lunch break]
Overtime: [Overtime is not guaranteed. If required, it will be
paid at [basic rate / X times basic rate] / is not
paid but may be taken as time off in lieu.]
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3. PLACE OF WORK
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Primary location: [ADDRESS]
[The employee may be required to work at other locations from
time to time as reasonably required by the employer.]
[Remote working: The employee may work from home on [X] days
per week by agreement with their manager.]
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4. HOLIDAY
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Annual leave: [X] days per year (inclusive of / exclusive of
UK bank holidays)
[For a full-time employee working 5 days a week,
the statutory minimum is 28 days inclusive of
8 bank holidays, or 20 days exclusive of bank
holidays.]
Holiday year: 1 January to 31 December (or [alternative dates])
Carry-over: Up to [X] days may be carried into the following
holiday year. Any unused days above this will be
forfeited unless the employee could not take them
due to sickness or family leave.
Holiday pay: Paid at the employee's normal weekly pay rate.
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5. SICKNESS AND ABSENCE
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Notification: The employee must notify [their manager / HR] by
[TIME] on the first day of absence.
Certification: A self-certification form is required for absences
of 1–7 days. A medical certificate (fit note) is
required for absences of more than 7 consecutive
calendar days.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP): The employee is entitled to SSP in
accordance with current legislation (£116.75/week
for up to 28 weeks, from day one of sickness as
of April 2026).
[Contractual sick pay: [The employer will pay full basic pay for
the first [X] weeks of sickness absence in any
rolling 12-month period, subject to the employee
following the notification and certification
requirements above.]]
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6. NOTICE PERIODS
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During probation: [1 week] notice by either party.
After probation: [X weeks / months] notice by the employer.
[X weeks / months] notice by the employee.
[Statutory minimum: 1 week per year of service,
up to 12 weeks, applies if longer than the above.]
Garden leave: The employer may require the employee to work
their notice period from home without attending
the workplace.
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7. PROBATIONARY PERIOD
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Duration: [X months] (maximum 6 months under the
Employment Rights Act 2025)
Review: Performance will be reviewed at the end of the
probationary period. The employer may extend the
probationary period by [X months] if further
assessment is required.
Dismissal during probation: The employer may dismiss the employee
during the probationary period with [X weeks]
notice, following a brief meeting to explain the
reasons. The employee has the right not to be
unfairly dismissed from day one of employment.
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8. PENSION
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The employer will comply with its auto-enrolment duties under the
Pensions Act 2008. If the employee is an eligible jobholder, they
will be automatically enrolled into the employer's designated
workplace pension scheme:
Scheme: [NEST / The People's Pension / other]
Employer contribution: [3]% of qualifying earnings (minimum)
Employee contribution: [5]% of qualifying earnings (minimum)
The employee may opt out of the scheme in accordance with the
scheme rules. The employer will re-enrol opted-out employees
every 3 years.
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9. CONFIDENTIALITY
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The employee must not, during or after employment, disclose any
confidential information belonging to the employer, including
customer lists, pricing, business plans, or trade secrets, except
as required by law or with the employer's written consent.
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10. DISCIPLINARY AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
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The employer's disciplinary and grievance procedures are set out
in the [Employee Handbook / separate document provided on request].
These procedures follow the Acas Code of Practice on Disciplinary
and Grievance Procedures.
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11. COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS
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[There are no collective agreements that directly affect the
employee's terms and conditions of employment.]
[OR: The following collective agreement affects the employee's
terms: [details].]
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12. ADDITIONAL TERMS
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[Add any additional terms here, such as:
- Non-compete restrictions (note: these must be reasonable in
scope and duration to be enforceable)
- Intellectual property assignment
- Right to search
- Social media policy
- Expenses policy]
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SIGNATURES
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Signed for and on behalf of [EMPLOYER NAME]:
Name: ___________________________
Position: ___________________________
Signature: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
Received and agreed by the employee:
Name: ___________________________
Signature: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
Please sign and return one copy to [EMPLOYER NAME / HR].
Keep the other copy for your records.
Section 01
How to use this template
Replace every item in square brackets with your own information. Delete any sections that are not relevant to your business. The notes in square brackets are guidance — remove them from the final document.
- Section 1 (Pay): Specify the pay amount, frequency, and method. Include any deductions.
- Section 5 (Sickness): The statutory minimum is SSP from day one (from April 2026). You can offer more generous contractual sick pay — add it in the optional section.
- Section 7 (Probation): The maximum probationary period is 6 months under the Employment Rights Act 2025. Note that employees have the right not to be unfairly dismissed from day one.
- Section 12 (Additional terms): Add any specific terms for your business. Non-compete clauses must be reasonable in scope and duration to be enforceable.
- Sign two copies: one for the employee, one for your records. Keep your copy for at least 6 years.
Section 02
What the law requires
The Employment Rights Act 1996 (as amended) specifies the minimum information that must be included in a written statement. This template covers all required particulars.
- Names of employer and employee.
- Start date and date of continuous employment.
- Pay and pay frequency.
- Hours of work.
- Holiday entitlement and pay.
- Sickness and sick pay arrangements.
- Notice periods.
- Job title or description.
- Place of work.
- Whether the employment is permanent or fixed-term.
- Pension arrangements.
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures (or reference to where they can be found).
- Any collective agreements affecting terms.
Section 03
Key changes from the Employment Rights Act 2025
- Probation periods are now capped at 6 months. You can still dismiss during probation, but must follow a brief process.
- Employees have the right not to be unfairly dismissed from day one (previously required 2 years' service).
- Statutory Sick Pay is payable from day one of sickness, with no lower earnings threshold (from April 2026).
- Zero-hours workers have the right to request a guaranteed-hours contract after a qualifying period.
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