- Status
- Amended (in force with amendments)
- Penalty ceiling
- Imprisonment 6 of 53 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 2 carry different penalties and 45 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.
Does it bind you?
Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.
Plus 4 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.
Other Acts binding the same actors
If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.
Employer — also bound by 682 other Acts
Director or Officer — also bound by 429 other Acts
Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts
What it requires
Regulations creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.
GENERAL
0 of 2 sections shown2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS CONCERNING WORKING TIME
17 of 26 sections shown- Ensure workers do not exceed 48-hour average working weekEmployer
- Limit working hours for young workersEmployer
- Limit working hours for young workers to 8 hrs/day and 40 hrs/weekEmployer
- Limit young workers’ hours to 8 hrs per day and 40 hrs per weekEmployer
- Prevent young workers from doing night workEmployer
- Prevent young workers from working during restricted night periodsEmployer
- Limit night worker hours to an average of 8 hours per dayEmployer
- Limit night workers’ hours to 8 hrs per 24 hrs and control special‑hazard shiftsEmployer
- Limit night workers’ hours to an average of 8 hours per 24 hours and monitor complianceEmployer
- Provide free health assessments for night workersEmployer
- Provide free health assessments for night‑workers and transfer them if advisedEmployer
- Provide free health assessments for night/young workers and transfer sick night workersEmployer
- Provide adequate rest breaks for high-risk work patternsEmployer
- Provide adequate rest breaks when work pattern risks healthEmployer
- Keep and retain records of staff working hoursEmployer
- Keep and retain records of working‑time complianceEmployer
- Keep and retain working‑time records for two yearsEmployer
Unlimited fine
- Provide daily rest periods for workers and young workersEmployer
- Provide minimum daily rest for workersEmployer
- Provide minimum daily rest of 11 (or 12) hours for workersEmployer
- Provide minimum weekly rest periods for workersEmployer
- Provide workers with a weekly or fortnightly rest periodEmployer
- Provide workers with a weekly rest periodEmployer
- Provide mandatory rest breaks for workersEmployer
- Provide rest breaks for employees working over six hoursEmployer
- Provide rest breaks for workers exceeding daily hoursEmployer
- Provide workers with 4 weeks' annual leave each year and manage carry-over rulesEmployer
- Pay compensation for untaken annual leave on terminationEmployer
- Pay workers for untaken holiday when their employment endsEmployer
- Calculate holiday accrual for irregular or part-year workers on leaveEmployer
- Calculate annual leave for irregular‑hour workers on sick or statutory leaveEmployer
- Pay rolled‑up holiday uplift and show it on payslipsEmployer
- Use rolled-up holiday pay for irregular or part-year workersEmployer
- Pay workers correctly for annual leaveEmployer
- Apply the most favorable leave or rest entitlementEmployer
- Apply the most favourable rest, break or leave entitlementEmployer
- Give workers the most favourable rest, break or holiday entitlementEmployer
- Pay irregular hours and part-year workers for untaken leave on terminationEmployer
9 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
EXCEPTIONS
2 of 15 sections shown- Provide compensatory rest when normal rest breaks are missedEmployer
- Give young workers compensatory rest after emergency workEmployer
13 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
MISCELLANEOUS
6 of 16 sections shownOther duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- HSE and other authorities must enforce working time requirementsStatutory regulator
- Cause another person to commit a working time offenceAny Person
- Corporate offence also makes directors personally liableDirector or Officer
Unlimited fine
- Fail to comply with Working Time Regulations requirementsEmployer
- Fail to comply with working time rules or obstruct inspectorEmployer
- Allow workers to take statutory rest/leave and pay any entitlementsEmployer
Other duties (2) — Crown / regulator
- Tribunal must adjudicate on working time and holiday pay complaintsTribunal / Court
- Tribunal must adjudicate on working time disputes and award remediesTribunal / Court
- Fail to comply with relevant requirements (e.g., annual leave)Employer
- Fail to comply with working‑time requirementsEmployer
Unlimited fine
10 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
SPECIAL CLASSES OF PERSON
2 of 8 sections shown- Apply working time protections to Crown and government employeesEmployer
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
- Crown employees are protected by Working Time RegulationsCrown / Minister / Government department
- Personal liability of police leaders for working time breachesDirector or Officer
Unlimited fine
6 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Schedules
0 of 18 shown18 other schedules
Help complying
Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.
Stop your sole trader business
Step-by-step guide to closing your self-employment - telling HMRC, filing final returns, and keeping required records
Transfer ownership of your business
Plan and execute business succession - family transfers, management buyouts, partner buyouts, or employee ownership
Manage your employees
A comprehensive journey for UK employers covering the full employment lifecycle - from ongoing payroll and compliance duties through to managing workforce …
Sell your business
Navigate the business sale process from preparation to completion and beyond - valuation, finding buyers, due diligence, TUPE, deal negotiation, and post-sale …
Close your company
Choose the right route to close your limited company - voluntary strike-off, Members' Voluntary Liquidation, or dealing with debts
Run a construction business
Ongoing compliance, site safety, and operational requirements for established construction businesses
Holiday entitlement and pay
Understanding statutory holiday entitlement and holiday pay.
Manage security staff working time
Working time compliance for private security employers. Covers maximum weekly hours, night worker limits, rest break entitlements, opt-out agreements, and lone working …
SIA employer compliance checklist
Compliance audit checklist for private security employers. Covers SIA licensing, refresher training, first aid, DBS checks, right to work verification, badge display, …
The complete employment lifecycle: employer responsibilities from hire to exit
A comprehensive guide to employer responsibilities across every stage of the employment relationship, from lawful advertising and recruitment through onboarding, day-to-day management, …
Working time and rest breaks in hospitality
Working Time Regulations explained for hospitality employers including maximum hours, rest break entitlements, split shift rules, night work limits, young worker protections, …
Working time: legal limits and rest breaks
Legal requirements for maximum working hours, rest breaks, and annual leave. Covers the 48-hour weekly limit, opt-out agreements, rest entitlements, night worker …
4 more guides that reference this instrument
Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.