Free UK Employment Contract Template — ERA 1996 Compliant
Generate a UK contract of employment that satisfies the day-one written-statement-of-particulars requirement under the Employment Rights Act 1996 s.1. Permanent, fixed-term, zero-hours, or apprenticeship — ready in 30 seconds.
Day-one obligation, not day-60. Since 6 April 2020, the written statement of particulars must be given on or before the first day of employment. The old "two months" deadline is gone. Failure to provide one can increase compensation in any other tribunal claim by 2-4 weeks' pay (Employment Act 2002 s.38).
A complete UK employment contract that includes every particular required by ERA 1996 s.1, plus the standard supporting clauses:
Parties — employer and employee names, addresses
Start date and continuous employment date — important for unfair dismissal qualifying period (currently 2 years, but reducing to "day one" under the Employment Rights Bill 2024 — track the commencement date carefully)
Job title and duties — description of role and place in the structure
Place of work — single location, multiple locations, hybrid, or remote
Hours of work — fixed, variable, on-call; including treatment of overtime
Holiday entitlement — at least 28 days inclusive of bank holidays for full-time (Working Time Regulations 1998)
Sickness — SSP-only or contractual occupational sick pay
Pensions — auto-enrolment statement under Pensions Act 2008
Notice — meets ERA 1996 s.86 minima or longer
Probation period — typically 3-6 months with reduced notice during
Confidentiality — covenant covering trade secrets, customer data, and business strategy
Restrictive covenants — optional non-compete, non-solicitation, non-deal (drafted to be reasonable in scope and duration)
Disciplinary and grievance — reference to the company's procedures (which must comply with the ACAS Code of Practice)
Termination — grounds for summary dismissal, notice provisions, garden leave
Governing law — England and Wales
Signature blocks — for both parties
Statutory required particulars (ERA 1996 s.1)
The following must appear in the written statement (or in a "principal statement" given on day one with details to follow within two months):
Name of employer and employee
Date employment began (and any continuous employment date)
Pay — rate, frequency, calculation
Hours of work and any variable working hours pattern
Holiday entitlement (including how it accrues, public holidays)
Sickness terms
Pension terms
Notice required from each side
Job title or job description
Length of fixed-term contracts (if applicable)
Place of work
Terms about working outside the UK for more than a month
Probationary period (if any)
Training entitlement and any required training
Any collective agreements that apply
Disciplinary and grievance procedures (or where to find them)
Permanent, fixed-term, zero-hours, apprentice
Permanent contract
Standard ongoing employment with no end date. Subject to the full ERA 1996 protections (notice, redundancy after 2 years, unfair dismissal protection after qualifying period).
Fixed-term contract
Has an end date or specific event triggering end. Successive fixed-term contracts after 4 years usually convert to permanent under the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002. Statutory redundancy applies.
Zero-hours contract
No guaranteed hours but worker rights apply. Exclusivity clauses are unenforceable (Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 s.153). The Employment Rights Bill 2024 introduces new rights to a "guaranteed hours" contract after 12 weeks of regular work.
Apprenticeship
An apprentice has additional protections — termination is harder, and they are entitled to a structured training programme. Use a specific apprenticeship template, not a standard employment contract.
How to use the template
Click Generate My Employment Contract Free.
Pick the contract type.
Fill in employer, employee, role, start date, salary, hours.
Yes — generation is free. Free accounts get one watermarked document per month. Pro (£14.99/mo) gives unlimited clean PDFs and 15 AI credits. Elite (£24.99/mo) gives unlimited and 40 credits — useful for the AI-driven Legal Analyser and Smart Doc Reader.
Can I add a non-compete clause?
Yes — but UK courts only enforce restrictive covenants that are reasonable in scope (geography), duration (typically 6-12 months), and necessary to protect a legitimate business interest. Six months for an executive in a defined sector is usually fine; two years for a junior employee against any competitor anywhere is not. The template includes a default reasonable structure; for senior or sales roles consider a solicitor draft.
What about the Good Work Plan changes?
The Good Work Plan came into force on 6 April 2020 and made the written statement a day-one right (no longer "within 2 months"). It also expanded the required particulars (training, probation, variable hours). Our template covers all current requirements. Track the Employment Rights Bill 2024 for upcoming changes including day-one unfair dismissal rights.
Do I need separate policies?
The contract should reference the company's disciplinary, grievance, equality, and health-and-safety policies. These can be in a staff handbook (which is normally non-contractual). The template includes the right cross-references.
Is electronic signature OK?
Yes — the Electronic Communications Act 2000 and Law Commission guidance (2019) confirm that employment contracts can be signed electronically. DocuSign, HelloSign, Adobe Sign, and even an emailed "I agree" with the contract attached are all enforceable.