Part 1 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 adds three new rights for workers on zero-hours and similar contracts. None is in force, and the government has not set a start date. The rights will bring new duties for you as an employer, and the records you keep before they start will show what you owe.
What the law already says
A term in a zero-hours contract that stops the worker doing work for someone else, or doing so without your consent, is unenforceable. Zero-hours workers have the same statutory employment rights as other workers or employees.
What you will have to do
When the new rights start, you will have to offer guaranteed hours to a worker who qualifies, give reasonable notice of shifts and pay when you cancel, move or cut short a shift at short notice. The rights extend to agency workers too.
When the rights start
Regulations must set the reference periods, which workers qualify, the notice periods and the payments before the rights can take effect. The powers to make those regulations began on 6 January 2026. The government has finished consulting on the detail, and its timeline published on 22 October 2026 gave no start date, saying timings will be updated following the consultation.
What to track before they start
The guaranteed hours duty looks back over the hours a worker has actually worked, so records you keep before the start date will be your evidence. For each zero-hours or low-hours worker, record the hours worked each week and the days and times they worked, because the regulations can require an offer to follow when hours were worked as well as how many. Record each shift you offer, cancel, move or cut short, and how much notice you gave. Record which of your workers come through an agency.
It is also worth checking your contracts for terms that restrict workers from working elsewhere, as those are already unenforceable.
Zero hours contracts: guidance for employers (opens in a new tab)
Legal basis
Primary legislation and key regulations