Employment contract template: what the document must settle.
A clause-by-clause starting checklist for a UK employment contract — not a substitute for a reviewed contract suited to the role.
What should a UK employment contract cover?
A UK employment contract should capture the agreed employment terms and at least the written particulars the employer must provide, including parties, role, start date, pay, hours, holiday, place of work, benefits, probation, notice and relevant procedures.
The right wording depends on the role and working arrangement; copying a generic contract can create obligations neither side intended.
What matters
Start with the rule
A UK employment contract should capture the agreed employment terms and at least the written particulars the employer must provide, including parties, role, start date, pay, hours, holiday, place of work, benefits, probation, notice and relevant procedures.
Write down the decision
Keep the policy, dates, calculation inputs and decision together so another person can understand what happened.
Check the current source
Have the actual contract reviewed for the role and current law. This page is a drafting checklist, not a downloadable legal instrument.
A practical checklist
For a small team, a short repeatable process beats an impressive policy nobody follows.
- Employer, employee, role and start/continuous-employment dates
- Pay, deductions, hours and place of work
- Holiday year, entitlement and holiday pay
- Sickness reporting and sick pay
- Probation and notice
- Benefits, training and pension information
- Confidentiality, data and intellectual-property terms where relevant
- Disciplinary, grievance and applicable collective agreements
Where software helps — and where it does not
HollyHR can keep the relevant people record, dates, documents, leave and working pattern in one place. It cannot decide a legal, medical or employee-relations question for you.
Have the actual contract reviewed for the role and current law. This page is a drafting checklist, not a downloadable legal instrument.
Check the source, not just our summary
Rules and product pages change. These are the first-party references behind this page.
Questions people ask
Is this legal advice?
No. It is a practical summary for UK small teams. Check the linked official guidance and take qualified advice for a specific or disputed case.
Why keep the source with the calculation?
Rates and rules change. Recording the inputs, date and source makes the answer reviewable instead of becoming an unexplained number in a spreadsheet.
Can HollyHR track this?
HollyHR can hold the underlying employee, working-pattern, leave and document records. It does not present itself as a legal-advice engine.
Proper HR, without the big-system palaver.
HollyHR is free for up to 10 active people. We're onboarding early-access teams one at a time.
Keep reading: HR guides · People records · Join early access