Zero-Hours Contract Rights and the 2025 Reforms

A zero-hours contract does not guarantee any minimum hours of work, but that does not strip away your rights. Most zero-hours staff are legally "workers", and the Employment Rights Act 2025 will introduce a right to guaranteed hours in Great Britain, which is not yet in force (gov.uk).

What a zero-hours contract actually means

A zero-hours contract is an arrangement where the employer is not obliged to offer any minimum number of hours, and the individual is not obliged to accept work when it is offered. Pay is only for hours actually worked. This flexibility suits some casual or on-call roles, but it means income can vary week to week with no guaranteed floor.

Not offering a minimum number of hours is lawful. What is not lawful is treating a zero-hours arrangement as a way to strip away the statutory protections that come with worker or employee status.

Are you a "worker" or an "employee" on a zero-hours contract

Most people on zero-hours contracts have "worker" status, which is the middle category between genuinely self-employed and employee. Some, depending on how much control the employer exercises and the reality of the working relationship, are employees. Status is decided by the actual working relationship, not by what the contract is labelled. Worker status alone is enough to trigger the core rights below; a smaller set of rights (including unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy pay) additionally require employee status and, in most cases, a qualifying period of service.

Rights you keep on a zero-hours contract

Even without guaranteed hours, zero-hours workers retain the same baseline protections as other workers and employees (gov.uk; ACAS):

• National Minimum Wage for every hour actually worked
• 5.6 weeks' statutory paid holiday a year, accruing in Great Britain at 12.07% of hours worked for those with irregular hours
• Statutory rest breaks, including a break during a long shift and minimum daily and weekly rest
• Protection from unlawful discrimination on the basis of a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010
• Protection from detriment for whistleblowing, where a protected disclosure is made
• Health and safety protection, on the same basis as other staff

Exclusivity clauses are unenforceable

Some zero-hours contracts try to stop the individual working for another employer or "looking for work" elsewhere, sometimes called an exclusivity clause. In Great Britain, section 27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996 makes any such clause in a zero-hours contract unenforceable. A worker can accept work from another employer regardless of what the contract says, and cannot lawfully be penalised for doing so (gov.uk).

Northern Ireland has no equivalent statutory ban at present. The Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 contains only a power to make regulations to prevent abuses of zero-hours contracts (Article 59A), not a ban itself, so a worker in Northern Ireland should check their position with the Labour Relations Agency.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a package of zero-hours reforms aimed at reducing one-sided flexibility. None of these rights is in force yet. The government's implementation timeline, updated on 25 September 2026, lists them among the measures that will take effect in 2027, with timings to be updated after consultation (gov.uk). The reforms are Great Britain legislation (legislation.gov.uk).

• Right to guaranteed hours. Qualifying workers who regularly work a pattern of hours over a reference period gain the right to be offered a contract that reflects those hours, rather than remaining on zero hours indefinitely.
• Reasonable notice of shifts. Employers must give reasonable notice of the hours, days and times a worker is expected to work; notice given too close to the shift is presumed unreasonable.
• Payment for short-notice cancellation. Where a shift is cancelled, moved, or cut short at short notice, the worker becomes entitled to a payment.
• Ending exploitative zero-hours use. The government describes these measures together as ending the exploitative use of zero-hours contracts; the Act does not ban zero-hours contracts, which remain lawful.

These rights sit alongside the ones zero-hours workers already have; they do not replace them, and none of the existing minimum wage, holiday, rest-break, discrimination, or whistleblowing protections depend on when the reforms start.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has separate employment legislation, and it differs on zero-hours contracts: there is no statutory ban on exclusivity clauses at present (see above), and the 12.07% holiday accrual method comes from the Great Britain Working Time Regulations 1998, so check how holiday is worked out for irregular hours in Northern Ireland. Claims are heard by the Industrial Tribunal, not the Employment Tribunal (the Fair Employment Tribunal hears only religious belief and political opinion discrimination claims), and the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) provides advice and early conciliation in place of ACAS. The Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms, including guaranteed hours, are GB legislation; Northern Ireland may legislate separately on zero-hours contracts, and any NI equivalent should be checked directly with the LRA or nidirect rather than assumed to mirror GB on the same timetable.

This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Zero-hours contract terms vary, and the Employment Rights Act 2025 zero-hours reforms are not yet in force, with commencement dates still to be confirmed. For advice on a specific situation, contact ACAS or a solicitor.

See also the UK Employment Law hub for the full cluster, the United Kingdom hub for other UK legal topics, holiday entitlement for how the 5.6 weeks and 12.07% accrual work in detail, workplace discrimination for Equality Act 2010 protections, and flexible working requests for the day-one right to request a different working pattern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my employer refuse to give me any work on a zero-hours contract

Yes. A zero-hours contract does not guarantee a minimum number of hours, so the employer is not obliged to offer work in any given week, and you are not obliged to accept it when offered.

Do I get holiday pay on a zero-hours contract

Yes. You accrue the statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year. In Great Britain, for irregular hours, this is usually calculated as 12.07% of the hours you actually work.

Can my employer stop me working for another employer while I am on a zero-hours contract

In Great Britain, no. Exclusivity clauses that try to ban you from working elsewhere or looking for other work are unenforceable in a zero-hours contract. Northern Ireland has no equivalent statutory ban at present, so check with the Labour Relations Agency.

Am I entitled to the National Minimum Wage on a zero-hours contract

Yes. You must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage for every hour you actually work, on the same basis as any other worker.

What is the right to guaranteed hours under the Employment Rights Act 2025

It is a right the Act will introduce in Great Britain for qualifying workers who regularly work a pattern of hours to be offered a contract reflecting those hours instead of remaining on zero hours indefinitely. It is not yet in force; the government expects it to take effect in 2027, with timing to be confirmed after consultation.

Will I be paid if my shift is cancelled at short notice

Not yet. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms, short-notice cancellation, moving, or curtailment of a shift will trigger a payment right in Great Britain, but this is not in force yet; the government expects it to take effect in 2027.

Am I an employee or a worker on a zero-hours contract

Most people on zero-hours contracts are workers, which is enough to secure minimum wage, holiday, rest breaks, and discrimination and whistleblowing protection. Some are employees, depending on the reality of the working relationship, which can bring additional rights subject to a qualifying period.

Does Northern Ireland have the same zero-hours rights

Not entirely. Northern Ireland has separate legislation and no statutory ban on exclusivity clauses at present. Claims go to the Industrial Tribunal rather than the Employment Tribunal, and the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) provides advice and conciliation in place of ACAS. The Employment Rights Act 2025 guaranteed-hours reforms are GB legislation, and any NI equivalent should be checked separately.