Does a UK employment contract have to be in writing?

The contract itself does not. Section 230(2) of the Employment Rights Act 1996 defines a contract of employment as a contract of service or apprenticeship, express or implied, and if express then oral or in writing. Separately, section 1 of the same Act requires the employer to give a written statement of particulars not later than the beginning of the employment, covering pay, hours, holiday, sick pay, pensions, notice, job title, probation and place of work. In Northern Ireland the equivalent duty is article 33 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 and the statement is due within two months.

How long must someone work before claiming unfair dismissal in the UK?

As at 3 September 2026, section 108 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 still requires continuous employment of not less than two years ending with the effective date of termination. The Employment Rights Act 2025 reduces that to six months, but legislation.gov.uk records the amendment to section 108 as yet to be applied, and the government's timeline states the reduction applies to dismissals from 1 January 2027. Discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010 have never had a qualifying period.

What is the statutory minimum notice period in the UK?

Section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 requires an employer to give not less than one week's notice where continuous employment is one month or more but less than two years, then not less than one week for each year of continuous employment, up to a maximum of twelve weeks. An employee continuously employed for one month or more must give not less than one week. A contract can provide longer notice but not shorter.

Employment Contract in the UK

The United Kingdom is not one employment jurisdiction. Great Britain runs on the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Equality Act 2010; Northern Ireland has its own transferred regime under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, where the written statement is due within two months rather than on day one. Great Britain is also mid-reform, because the Employment Rights Act 2025 is being commenced in stages and the cut to the unfair dismissal qualifying period has not happened yet.

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Governing law

The Employment Rights Act 1996 sets the core statutory terms of employment across Great Britain and the Equality Act 2010 governs discrimination. Northern Ireland applies the parallel Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996.

Employment Rights Act 1996, s.1

What a employment contract has to contain in the UK

The employer must give a written statement of particulars not later than the beginning of the employment, covering pay and pay intervals, hours, holiday and holiday pay, sick pay, pensions, notice, job title, any probationary period, place of work and training entitlements.
Employment Rights Act 1996, s.1(2)-(5)
Statutory minimum notice is not less than one week where continuous employment is one month or more but under two years, then not less than one week for each year of continuous employment, subject to a maximum of twelve weeks. An employee continuously employed for one month or more must give at least one week's notice.
Employment Rights Act 1996, s.86
As at 3 September 2026 an unfair dismissal claim still requires two years' continuous employment ending with the effective date of termination. The Employment Rights Act 2025 amends section 108, but legislation.gov.uk records that amendment as yet to be applied.
Employment Rights Act 1996, s.108
Nine protected characteristics attract discrimination protection with no qualifying period: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Equality Act 2010, s.4
Statutory paid annual leave is four weeks under regulation 13 plus additional leave under regulation 13A, an aggregate entitlement subject to a maximum of 28 days.
Working Time Regulations 1998, reg. 13A(3)
In Northern Ireland the written statement duty sits in article 33 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 and the statement is due within two months of the employment beginning.
Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, art. 33

Form, notarisation and registration

The contract of employment itself need not be written: a contract of service may be express or implied and, if express, oral or in writing. The written statement is a separate statutory document.
Employment Rights Act 1996, s.230(2)

What catches drafters out

Drafting to the reformed position too early. The government's published timeline states the reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period to six months applies to dismissals from 1 January 2027.
GOV.UK, Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update
Using one UK-wide template. The Great Britain deadline is not later than the beginning of employment while the Northern Ireland deadline is two months, so a single document gets one of them wrong.
Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, art. 33