What is changing for zero hours contracts, and when?
The Employment Rights Act 2025 will give zero hours and low-hours workers rights to be offered hours reflecting those they regularly work, reasonable notice of shifts, and payment for shifts cancelled, moved or cut short at short notice. None of these rights is in force yet, and the government has not set a start date: timings will follow its consultation.
The three new rights
The rights are aimed at zero hours workers and workers whose contracted hours fall below a threshold to be set in regulations. They will extend to agency workers: hirers will make hours offers by default, and agencies will make short-notice payments and can recover them from hirers. Collective agreements with trade unions can set more tailored terms.
- Hours offers: after each reference period, employers must offer qualifying workers a contract reflecting the hours they worked. Workers can turn the offer down and stay on their current arrangement
- Reasonable notice: employers must give reasonable notice of shifts and of employer-initiated changes to shifts
- Short-notice payments: employers must pay workers when they cancel, move or curtail a shift at short notice. No payment is due if the worker initiates the change
Details still to be decided
Key details will be set in regulations, including the length of reference periods, the hours threshold, how much notice is presumed reasonable, what counts as short notice and how much must be paid. The government consulted on these details from 2 June to 25 August 2026. GOV.UK says the timings will be updated following the consultation process, so employers should not assume a start date yet.
The law today
Exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts are already unenforceable, so employers cannot stop these workers from working for someone else. GOV.UK's guidance says zero hours contracts may not suit work that is regular and predictable, and recommends giving as much notice as possible, avoiding last-minute cancellations and being clear about any compensation for cancelled work.
The law
“each time that the employer cancels, moves or curtails at short notice a qualifying shift…”
“prohibits the worker from doing work or performing services under another contract or under any other arrangement…”
Sources
- Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update · GOV.UK
- Make Work Pay: ending one-sided flexibility – reforms of zero hours and similar contracts · GOV.UK
- Zero hours contracts: guidance for employers · GOV.UK
- Factsheet: Reforms of zero hours and similar contracts · GOV.UK
General information for employers in Great Britain, not legal advice. Check the official sources for your situation.
What employers can do
- List everyone on zero hours or low-hours arrangements, including agency workers
- Record the hours each person actually works so you can see who may qualify
- Review how you schedule, change and cancel shifts
- Remove any exclusivity clauses from zero hours contracts
- Consider whether permanent part-time or annualised hours contracts would suit regular work better
- Watch for the government's consultation response and confirmed start date
Related answers
- What is changing under the Employment Rights Act 2025, and when? The Employment Rights Act 2025 is being brought in by phases. Day-one paternity and parental leave, sick pay changes and six-month tribunal time limits already apply. Next come the stronger harassment duties on 30 October 2026, a six-month unfair dismissal qualifying period from 1 January 2027 and fire and rehire protections in March 2027. Future dates remain subject to Parliament.
- How should employers calculate holiday pay, including for irregular hours? Workers get a week's pay for each week of statutory leave, usually averaged over the previous 52 paid weeks where pay varies. For irregular-hours and part-year workers, leave accrues at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period, and all their leave is paid at their 'normal' rate.