Jobs & Business
Minimum wage, employment rights, incorporating a company, hiring a first employee and liability insurance.
Confirmation statement: a company's yearly Companies House filing
Once a year every UK company confirms its register details. Deadlines, the £50 fee and the penalty for missing it.
How to set up a limited company in the UK
You can run your business as a limited company. Here is what you need to register with Companies House, what it costs, and the duties that arise straight away.
Time off for dependants: leaving work in an emergency
If something unexpected happens to someone close — a child falls ill, care arrangements break down — an employee has the right to reasonable time off. Here is who qualifies, when, and whether it is paid.
Tips in full: how the UK Allocation of Tips Act works
Since October 2024 UK employers may not keep workers' tips. Here is who must be paid, by when, and how to check the split is fair.
Basic DBS check UK 2026: how to get one and what it costs
A basic DBS check shows unspent convictions and costs £20. You apply online through One Login, usually within three days. Here is the process.
UK minimum wage to rise from April 2027
From 1 April 2027 the minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over rises to £13.21 an hour. The government announced the new rates at the Autumn Budget and accepted the Low Pay Commission's recommendations in full. Here are all the rates by age.
Free online courses in the UK: learn and gain qualifications free
You can study in Britain for free — from short online courses to a full state-funded Level 3 qualification. Where to find free courses: OpenLearn, FutureLearn and the Free Courses for Jobs scheme.
How to prove your right to work in the UK: passport or a share code
Before hiring you, a UK employer must check your right to work. For British and Irish citizens that is a passport; for everyone else it is an online share code. Here is what to prepare.
Maternity pay in the UK: how Statutory Maternity Pay works and who qualifies
Statutory Maternity Pay runs for up to 39 weeks: 90% of your average earnings for the first six weeks, then £194.32 a week or 90% if that is lower. Here are the rules and what to do if you do not qualify.
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Worker or employee: which status you have and what it actually gives you
Employment status decides whether you get sick pay, redundancy pay and protection from unfair dismissal. The full list of worker rights, what employee status adds, and why your tax status may differ.
From what age and for how many hours can a teenager work in the UK
Part-time work usually starts at 14, capped at 12 hours a week in term time, never before 7am or after 7pm. The full hour limits, breaks, banned jobs and when a council permit is required.
Sick leave in the UK: when you need a fit note and what 'may be fit for work' means
Up to seven days you self-certify. Beyond seven consecutive days, counting weekends, you need a fit note — and more professions than a GP can issue one. What to do when the note says 'may be fit for work'.
Workplace temperature: what the law in the UK actually requires
There is no legal minimum or maximum — there is a duty of reasonable temperature and fresh air. Guidance points to 16ºC, or 13ºC for physical work. How to raise it with an employer so it carries weight.
Where to complain about an employer or agency: the Fair Work Agency replaces the old inspectorate
The former employment agency inspectorate has been replaced by the Fair Work Agency. Where a complaint about minimum wage, an agency or working hours actually goes, whether you can complain for someone else, and the agency's contacts.
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How to find a job in the UK
A clear plan for finding work in the UK: where to look, how to write a UK CV, what a share code is and how to avoid scams.
Mass redundancy: consultation comes first
If 20 or more jobs are cut, the employer must consult in advance — at least 30 or 45 days. We explain the rule, the periods and what happens if it is breached.
Ten Paid Days for Safety
Northern Ireland is preparing a new right for people affected by domestic abuse: 10 paid days a year, available in half-days, without evidence or disclosure of the details to an employer.
Fired, then hired back?
An employer dismisses someone and offers the same job on new, often worse, terms. The government is preparing tighter restrictions on this practice, but the existing rules still apply for now. Here is what protects employees today and what businesses should prepare for.
When signing away rights at work actually binds
Giving up employment rights is void as a rule. We explain when a settlement agreement binds and why independent advice is required.
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Pregnancy and maternity are no reason for worse treatment
Treating an employee worse because of pregnancy or maternity leave is unlawful. We explain what counts as discrimination and why you do not need a comparator.
Minimum notice when a job ends
The law sets a minimum notice period when a job ends — from one week up to 12, depending on service. We explain how much notice you are owed, and how much you must give.
You can bring someone to a hearing at work
At a disciplinary or grievance hearing you can bring a companion — a colleague or union official. We explain what they can do and how to postpone the hearing.
Post Your Ad Free
The ONLYWAY.NEWS board now carries 138 adverts covering jobs, housing, services, transport, education and goods. Posting costs £0, needs no account and appears in both languages.
Part time is no reason for a lower rate
A part-time worker has the right not to get worse terms than a comparable full-timer unless the difference is justified. We explain the law and the pro rata principle.
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Constructive dismissal: when «resigning» counts as being dismissed
Sometimes a person resigns — because the employer made the job unbearable. By law that can count as a dismissal, not a voluntary departure.
Unfair dismissal: when a dismissal is unlawful and what to do
An employer cannot dismiss you «just because». A dismissal needs a permitted reason and a fair process — otherwise it is an unfair dismissal.
Reporting wrongdoing at work: the law protects whistleblowers
If you report wrongdoing at work in the public interest, the law protects you — you must not be punished or dismissed for it.
Are you paid less?
A new official benchmark puts typical full-time gross pay at £811.20 a week, £20.81 an hour and £40,911 a year. Here is how to compare it with your own pay.
Working through an agency: after 12 weeks, equal terms with direct staff
If you work through a staffing agency, after 12 weeks in the same role you gain the right to the same basic conditions as directly-recruited staff.
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Zero-hours contract: you cannot be banned from working elsewhere
A zero-hours contract guarantees no hours. But you cannot be banned from working for another employer — such a ban has no force.
Pregnancy and work: antenatal appointments come with paid time off
A pregnant employee does not have to use holiday or ask «as a favour» to attend an appointment. By law, antenatal appointments come with paid time off work.
Being made redundant: you're owed paid time off to find work
If you've been given notice of redundancy, during your notice period you're entitled to paid time off to look for new work or arrange training.
Caring for a relative: your right to carer's leave (since 2024)
If you care for an ill or elderly relative, since April 2024 you have a new right — carer's leave. Here is who qualifies and how much.
Losing a child: your right to paid leave («Jack's Law»)
If an employee loses a child, the law gives a right to leave — up to two weeks. It is known as «Jack's Law». Here it is, calmly and to the point.
New job: your written terms must be given on day one
A verbal «we'll sort it out once you start» is not lawful. By law, your main terms must be given to you in writing no later than your first day.
Money docked from your pay: when it's legal and when it isn't
A till shortfall, a broken item, «paying back» training — employers sometimes dock this from pay. But by law they cannot simply take money.
Pregnant workers gain dismissal protection
From October 2027, an employer will have to show that dismissing a pregnant employee or a parent returning from qualifying family leave was proportionate and that reasonable alternatives were unavailable. Here is who will be covered, what already applies and why the reform is not an absolute ban on dismissal.
Employee support without a tax bill
An employer can fund support for stress, debt, bereavement or menopause without tax and National Insurance. HMRC has clarified the boundary, and one excluded service can change the treatment of a whole package.
Who must employers let in?
An independent union will be able to make a formal request for in-person or digital access to workers. Employers get 15 working days to respond and 25 to negotiate. A key exception applies below 21 workers.
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Protect Universal Credit at Christmas
When December wages are paid early because a business closes for Christmas, employers should report the normal contractual payday to HMRC. The wrong date can reduce an employee’s Universal Credit for an assessment period.
Leaving a job: your untaken holiday must be paid
If you have not used your full holiday entitlement by the time you leave, your employer must pay you for it. That is a legal requirement.
Tips at work in the UK: who owns them by law and what to do if they are withheld
Since 1 October 2024 an employer must hand over all qualifying tips without deductions. Records are kept for three years, can be requested once every three months, and an allocation claim has a twelve-month deadline.
Sick during your holiday: how to keep the days and what to tell your employer
Report it on the day and the holiday becomes sick leave, with the days kept for later. SSP up to £123.25 a week, and 4 weeks can carry over for 18 months.
10,000 tech placements: the three-year total, the eight firms and the nine addresses for schools
DCMS announced 10,000 digital and tech work experience placements over three years on 21 October. Partners are ARM, Cisco, AtkinsRealis, Cognizant, IBM, Kainos, Microsoft and Qinetiq. Schools get nine regional contacts. Pay terms for the placements are not disclosed.
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Job offer withdrawn: what you can actually claim
An unconditional job offer creates a legally binding contract the moment it is accepted — even verbally. A conditional one can be withdrawn if the checks fail. Here are the three scenarios, and the rule about not resigning too early.
Unpaid parental leave: 18 weeks per child and 4 weeks a year
Employees have a right to 18 weeks of unpaid leave for each child, up to that child's 18th birthday. No more than 4 weeks a year, whole weeks only, and 21 days' notice.
Redundancy in the UK: up to £22,530, 12 weeks' notice and six months to claim
Statutory redundancy pay starts at two years of service. It is built from years and age, weekly pay is capped at £751 and the total at £22,530. Here are the notice periods, the consultation rules, the tax and the claim deadline.
Your child needs collecting now: when the law lets you leave work
Employees have a right to a reasonable amount of time off for an emergency involving a dependant, with no limit on how often. But your employer does not have to pay for it, and if you knew about the situation in advance the right does not apply at all.
ONS labour market: 691,000 vacancies, a 2014 level, and pay up 3.7%
ONS published its October release on 20 October at 7am. Vacancies stand at 691,000 — outside the pandemic, the last comparable level was 2014. Unemployment 4.7%, employment 75.3%, pay up 3.7% over the year but only 0.6% in real terms.
Laid off with no work: £41 a day, five days a quarter, £205 in all
Your employer can keep you at home when there is no work. You only lose your full pay if the contract says lay-offs can be unpaid — otherwise they must pay you as normal. The statutory floor is £41 a day, for no more than five days in three months.
Adoption leave and pay in the UK: 52 weeks, £194.32
Statutory Adoption Leave runs for 52 weeks and 39 of them are paid. Who qualifies, how much you get, the notice deadlines, and who gets nothing at all.
Working time and rest breaks: 20 minutes, 11 hours and the 48 limit
More than six hours of work earns one uninterrupted 20-minute break, there must be 11 hours between shifts, and the 48-hour weekly limit is averaged over 17 weeks. Here is what the employer must provide, what it need not pay for, and who gets compensatory rest instead of a break.
Notice periods: what you owe and what you are owed
An employee who resigns owes one week by law, whatever their service. An employer owes a week for every year worked, up to twelve. When notice starts running, how notice pay is calculated and what payment in lieu of notice buys.
Jobs Plans: 22,400 apprenticeships a year for under-25s and 40,000 on site
The government has published Jobs Plans for professional services and construction: 22,400 apprenticeships a year for under-25s, 40,000 construction placements, up to £2,000 for an employer taking an apprentice and 14,000 defence places by 2035. Here is what is promised and where to look today.
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Neonatal care leave in the UK: 12 weeks and £187.18 a week
The care must start within 28 days of birth, one week of leave is earned for every 7 full days on the ward, and the cap is 12 weeks. The leave is a day-one right; the £187.18 pay needs 26 weeks of service.
UK holiday pay: 5.6 weeks, 28 days and the 12.07% rule
Paid holiday in the UK is a statutory floor: 5.6 weeks a year, capped at 28 days. On irregular hours it is averaged over 52 weeks or paid as a top-up of at least 12.07% on every payslip, shown as a separate line.
Probation periods in the UK: what they do not suspend
UK law has no concept of a probation period — it is a contract term. Your contract exists from the moment you accept the offer, even verbally. Here is what applies from day one, what arrives after a month, and what after two years.
Disciplinary hearings and grievances at work: your rights, the deadlines and the cost of silence
An employer cannot discipline you without hearing you out. Here is how disciplinary procedures and grievances work: the right to a companion, appeals, suspension on full pay, 14 days for written reasons for dismissal and 6 months to claim.
Payslip, P45 and P60: the paperwork your UK employer must give you
A payslip is due on or before payday, a P45 when you leave, a P60 by 31 May. There is no replacement P45, and retail shortfall deductions are capped at 10% of gross pay per period.
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Statutory Sick Pay: £123.25 a week, 28 weeks and seven days before a fit note
Sick pay in Britain is paid by your employer. The rate, who qualifies, when a fit note is required and what to do if you are refused.
Shared Parental Leave: 50 weeks off and 37 weeks of pay to split between parents
A mother can hand part of her maternity entitlement to her partner — up to 50 weeks of leave and 37 weeks of pay. The rules, the £194.32 weekly rate, notice periods and blocks.
Business sold? What TUPE protects — and what it does not
When a business is sold or a contract changes hands, the employment contract moves to the new employer in full — service, holiday and terms included. Refusing to transfer counts as resigning.
London Living Wage rises to £15.45 an hour
The Living Wage Foundation has set its 2026-27 rates: £15.45 in London and £14.10 across the UK, both up 65p. The rate is voluntary and employers have until 1 May 2027.
Access to Work: a grant for equipment, support workers and travel, with no means test
The scheme pays for equipment, a BSL interpreter, a job coach, travel and vehicle adaptations. No diagnosis needed, nothing to repay, no effect on other benefits. Self-employed need £6,500 turnover.
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Self-employed on paper only?
The UK government is consulting on how to protect people labelled self-employed when a business effectively controls their work. An estimated 900,000 people may be at risk of missing employment rights. Here is what applies now, what is proposed, and how to respond.
New Style JSA in 2026: £95.55 a week, 182 days and the Jobcentre interview
The unemployment benefit paid on your National Insurance record, not on need — savings are ignored entirely. Rates, who qualifies, what to bring to the interview and what triggers a sanction.
Flexible working requests in the UK: the rules, the deadline and the eight reasons to refuse
Every employee can ask for different hours, different days or home working from day one. Here is what the request must contain, how long the employer has to answer, and the only eight business reasons that allow a refusal.
Paternity leave in the UK: two weeks, £194.32 and two notice deadlines
Paternity Leave lasts no more than two weeks and cannot start before the birth. Here is who qualifies, what it pays in 2026 and how much notice an employer needs before the pay is lost.
Minimum wage 2026: the rates, who is covered and how to get arrears back
From 1 April 2026 it is £12.71 an hour at 21 and over, £10.85 at 18 to 20 and £8 for apprentices. Deductions for uniform or tools can put you below the minimum even on £13 an hour.
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DBS checks in England: the four levels, the £20 fee and the deadlines people miss
Almost every job asks for a criminal record check. What separates a basic check from an enhanced one, what it costs and how long it takes, which addresses you will have to dig up, and why you get 30 days to join the Update Service.
150,000 jobs for London: what the Growth Plan promises and what is verified
City Hall wants more than 150,000 good jobs by 2028 and a London economy £107 billion larger by 2035. These are targets, not cash already allocated or vacancies already created. Here is what is verified and what businesses can do now.
Free London business support: consultations, 1,148 resources and a trading pitch
City Hall has brought support for entrepreneurs together on one platform: a free one-to-one consultation, business diagnostics, local programmes and training. There is also an urgent opportunity: two microbusinesses will receive a free pitch at Diwali on the Square with the trader's licence covered.
A £0 workspace: publicly backed support for London entrepreneurs
New entrepreneurs do not always need to pay for coworking. ONLYWAY.NEWS checked City of London, Camden, Wandsworth and BIPC programmes to identify where a desk and Wi-Fi are genuinely free, for how long and who qualifies.
A ‘free office’ in London? Where you are welcome, with Wi-Fi and tea
London’s Loved and Wanted network is open to every Londoner, but not every venue is a free coworking office. We checked the current 29-address directory to find free Wi-Fi, study desks, tea and paid alternatives from £8.50.
Trading from a table on UK streets: who can do it, where and how much it costs
You cannot simply put a table on any pavement. We explain when a street trading licence is needed, how a pedlar’s certificate differs and what lawful pitches cost in London, Cardiff, Scotland and Belfast.
AI at work in the UK: ONS names the jobs it has hit first
One in three UK businesses now uses artificial intelligence, and the roles it affects most are administrative and clerical. The latest Office for National Statistics figures, published 8 October.
Free careers advice moves into Jobcentres from 6 October 2026
From 6 October 2026 the National Careers Service has been merged into DWP, with around 500 careers advisers now working through Jobcentres. The advice is free and does not depend on benefits: it is available online and on 0800 072 0288, with face-to-face appointments starting later in October.
Four-day week in London: Lambeth prepares the capital’s first council trial
Lambeth council, run by the Greens since May, is preparing a trial four-day working week for its own staff — the first London borough to do so. Pay is to stay the same. No start date has been named. A year ago the government told English councils to drop such schemes, and the Conservative candidate for mayor has already asked why Londoners who work five days should pay for a council day off.
£2,000 for hiring a young apprentice: new payment for small employers starts 1 October
From 1 October 2026 an employer in England that does not pay the apprenticeship levy gets £2,000 for every new apprentice aged 16 to 24: £1,000 after 90 days of training and another £1,000 after a year. There is no application — the money comes through the training provider. Stacked with other support, one apprentice can be worth up to £8,000.
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Maternity leave and pay in the UK: 52 weeks off, £194.32 a week and what to do if your employer says no
Up to 52 weeks of leave but only 39 weeks of pay, most of it a flat £194.32 a week before tax. Who qualifies for SMP, what Maternity Allowance is, the one date that decides everything (15 weeks before the birth), what fathers get, and how to claim £500 and free prescriptions.
Employment tribunal deadline doubles: six months to claim against your employer from 1 October
From 1 October 2026 the time limit for an employment tribunal claim has doubled: six months less one day instead of three. It covers dismissal, unpaid wages, holiday pay and discrimination. In Scotland, breach of contract claims keep the old limit until 9 November.
How much paid holiday you are entitled to in the UK: 28 days, bank holidays and what you are owed when you leave
Paid holiday here is counted in weeks, not days: 5.6 weeks a year. On a five-day week that is 28 days — and unless your contract says otherwise, all eight bank holidays come out of them. Here is what the law gives you: the figures for part-time and zero-hours work, how holiday pay is calculated, what applies in your first year, and why untaken leave must be paid even if you are dismissed for gross misconduct.
Guaranteed jobs for young people on health benefits: the state will pay six months of wages
The Department for Work and Pensions announced on 27 September a major expansion of the Jobs Guarantee: from April 2027, young people on health benefits will be offered a guaranteed paid job 13 weeks after their Work Capability Assessment. Participation is voluntary, and the government will cover 100% of wages for up to 25 hours a week for six months. Here is who qualifies and what to do now.
England is recruiting magistrates: no law degree, 13 days a year — who can apply
The MOJ has launched a magistrate recruitment campaign: 21,000 wanted by 2028/29. Volunteer judges decide 95% of criminal cases, no legal training is needed, and employers must give time off by law. The requirements, the allowances and how to apply.
The government built a free CV tool: 20,000 CVs through Work Hub — and how to use it
On 25 September the DWP published the first results from Work Hub, the free job-search platform it calls a “jobcentre in your pocket”. The CV builder is open to everyone, not only people on benefits. Here is what is inside, where to find it and what not to expect.
Long-term sick leave in the UK: after a year off, fewer than half return to work
On 23 September the government published the plan for Britain's first Workplace Health System. Around 300,000 people a year leave work because of ill health, at a cost of £212 billion a year. What it means if you are an employee.
First convictions for missing Companies House ID checks: what it costs now, and how long is left
On 16 September a City court fined three directors — one of them for failing to stop an unverified colleague from acting. The Companies House transition year ends on 18 November 2026; after that come penalties of £250 to £2,000, a note on the public register and a block on filing for your company.
Sick pay in the UK in 2026: paid from day one, up to £123.25 a week
Since 6 April 2026 the three unpaid waiting days are gone and the earnings threshold has been scrapped: SSP is available to every eligible employee. The rate is 80% of average weekly earnings or £123.25 a week, whichever is lower, for up to 28 weeks. Who qualifies, when you need a fit note, what the self-employed can claim and where to complain if an employer refuses.
Made redundant in the UK: how much you are owed and what to do if you are on a work visa
The statutory maximum is £22,530: £751 per week of service, up to 20 years, and only after two years in the job. The first £30,000 is tax free. And if you are on a Skilled Worker visa, redundancy leaves you 60 days or the remainder of your visa, whichever is shorter. Here is what you are owed, by when, and where to get free advice.
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UK job vacancies are lower than in any year since 2014: what the ONS figures of 15 September mean if you are looking for work
The ONS published its labour market data at 7am on Tuesday. Vacancies stand at 702,000 for June to August, down 8,000 on the quarter; outside the pandemic slump the last comparable level was in 2014. Unemployment is 4.9%, but 145,000 fewer people are on a payroll than a year ago. Private sector pay is rising 2.9% a year — more than twice as slowly as public sector pay.
The National Insurance number: how to get one, how long it takes, and working without it
An NI number is not permission to work and not a tax number in the usual sense. It is the key the state files your contributions under, and your State Pension and some benefits depend on it. It is free, it takes up to four weeks, and you can work while you wait.
From 1 October, right to work checks reach couriers, subcontractors and platform workers
The illegal working regime expands: employers must verify the status not only of employees but of anyone on a worker’s contract, through an agency, a subcontracting chain or an online matching platform. The penalty is up to £60,000 per worker.
Working in England 2026: what jobs pay, what you keep, and how the work visa actually starts
The minimum wage in England is £12.71 an hour by law; median full-time pay is £39,039 a year, worth about £2,630 a month after tax. You can start work before your National Insurance number arrives, but never without the right to work. And the Skilled Worker visa starts with a sponsoring employer: £41,700 or your occupation’s going rate, whichever is higher.
Directors have ten weeks left to verify their identity
The Companies House transition year ends on 18 November. Every director and every person with significant control must verify by their own due date. Miss it and you commit an offence, face a financial penalty, and cannot file anything for your company.
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October: employers start answering for how customers behave
From 30 October part of the Employment Rights Act 2025 takes effect: employers must take “all reasonable steps” against sexual harassment and become liable for harassment by third parties — customers, visitors, contractors. And from 1 October the tribunal time limit rises from three months to six.
£450m a year of reporting to be stripped from companies
The government has announced an overhaul of corporate reporting: the directors’ report goes, and exemptions from the strategic report and from audit are widened. The consultation runs to 30 November and anyone may respond.
Director identity checks: the transition year ends in November
Identity verification at Companies House has been a legal requirement since 18 November 2025. The twelve-month transition period runs out this autumn.