Free UK HR resources
Everything we have written for UK employers, in one place: 169 guides, handbooks, calculators, templates and comparisons. Every statutory figure is checked against gov.uk before it is published, and there is nothing to sign up for.
Five kinds of thing
Start wherever your question sits.
Guides
Plain-English answers to the questions UK employers actually search for - sickness and SSP, holiday, TOIL, rotas, redundancy, family leave, DBS and the 2026-27 employment law changes. Organised into twelve topics.
Browse the guides → 3 handbooksHandbooks
Long-form playbooks for employers: the staff handbook template, the policies the law actually requires, and health and safety for small businesses. Start at For employers for everything by job.
Read a handbook → 27 calculatorsCalculators
Real interactive tools, not gated lead magnets: Bradford Factor, true cost of an employee, redundancy and notice pay, PENP, pro-rata holiday, SSP cost, salaried minimum-wage checks and more.
Try a calculator → 45 templatesTemplates
Policies, letters and forms you can copy straight off the page - TOIL and carer's leave policies, return-to-work questions, attendance warning letters, rotas and timesheets. Several come with a downloadable file.
Get a template → 15 comparisonsComparisons
Honest, checked comparisons against BambooHR, Breathe, Charlie HR, HiBob, Personio, Sage HR and Access PeopleHR - including where they win, and whether a spreadsheet is still fine for you.
Compare the options →Start here
The pages UK employers reach for most.
UK statutory rates 2026/27
Every figure an employer needs in one table - SSP, family leave pay, minimum wage, redundancy caps and employer NI - each checked against gov.uk.
See the rates → AbsenceBradford Factor calculator
Score an absence record the way the formula actually works, with exclusions that remove whole spells rather than just days - and an honest note on where the thresholds come from.
Work out a score → CostTrue cost of an employee
Salary plus employer NI, pension and the rest, with the Employment Allowance toggle most calculators leave out.
Cost a hire → Employment lawThe 2027 six-month qualifying period
Day-one unfair dismissal was scrapped. What replaced it, when it starts, and what to do about probation before it does.
Read the guide → TemplateTOIL policy template
Eleven clauses covering accrual, expiry, approval and what happens on leaving - the parts most TOIL arrangements forget until they cause an argument.
Get the template → SicknessSSP from day one
What changed in April 2026, what it costs an employer per absence, and why it quietly inflates Bradford Factor scores.
Read the guide →Recently added
The library grows most weeks. These landed in August 2026.
DBS checks: the employer's guide
Four levels, 2026 fees, who is eligible for what, and the renewal cycle you have to run yourself because certificates never expire.
Read the guide → NewNotice period calculator
The exact last day of employment from the date notice was given - the day-after rule, and month counting that handles the 31st properly.
Work out a date → NewPayroll cut-off calculator
Six months of cut-off dates and paydays from your own payday rule, so a change that misses the run stops being a surprise.
Build the calendar → NewDBS check policy template
Eight clauses mapping roles to check levels, the re-check cycle and fair handling of disclosures - plus a renewal tracker to download.
Get the template → NewBasic vs standard vs enhanced DBS
It is not a menu: the role decides the level, and ordering the highest one to be thorough is not an option the law gives you.
Read the guide → NewHow long does a DBS check take?
No official timescale exists. What actually determines the wait, the delays you can prevent, and the service that makes re-checks instant.
Read the guide →By topic
Most questions cross the four groups - these pull the guide, the calculator and the template together.
Sickness & absence
Trigger points · Bradford Factor · Fit notes · Absence cost · Return-to-work questions · Warning letters
Holiday & time off
Annual leave explained · Carry-over · Bank holidays · Pro-rata · Leaver holiday · Request form
Leaving & redundancy
Redundancy process · Garden leave vs PILON · Ex-gratia tax · Redundancy cost · Notice pay · PENP
Rotas, hours & overtime
Rest between shifts · Rota change notice · TOIL vs overtime · Overtime pay · Timesheet · Rolling rota
Family leave
Maternity · Day-one paternity · Shared parental · Unpaid parental · SMP cost · Neonatal policy
Hiring & compliance
Right to work · DBS levels · DBS timing · Cost per hire · New starter checklist
Everything, A-Z
The complete list. Every page is free, needs no sign-up, and has its statutory figures checked against the primary source.
Guides 79
A grievance against a manager or colleague: how it should be handled · Anonymous employee feedback and k-anonymity explained · Automatic enrolment: the employer's guide · Basic vs standard vs enhanced: which DBS check can you actually use? · Bereaved partner's paternity leave: what employers need to know · Bradford Factor exclusions: the absences that must not count · Bradford Factor rules and edge cases · Can an employee refuse an occupational health referral? · Can my employer change my shifts without asking? · Can my employer refuse my holiday request? UK rules explained · Can my employer refuse TOIL? · Capability vs conduct: choose the right route before you start · Carrying over annual leave: the UK rules · Changing employee shifts: how much notice must an employer give? · Company sick pay · Competency framework template · DBS checks: the employer's guide · Do bank holidays count towards annual leave? UK rules explained · Does holiday accrue on sick leave? · Employee offboarding checklist: what to do when someone leaves · Employer duties by number of employees: the UK thresholds · eNPS: what it is and how to measure employee engagement · Ex-gratia payments and the £30,000 rule · Fair recruitment: the legal bits employers miss · Fit notes: the employer's guide · Garden leave vs PILON · Giving employee references: the UK rules for employers · Gross misconduct: examples and what follows · Guaranteed hours: what the reform actually does · Handling a grievance: the employer's guide · How long can you self-certify sick in the UK? The 7-day rule explained · How long does a DBS check take? · How many hours' rest between shifts? · How much does HR software cost in the UK? · How much notice for a rota or shift change in the UK? The rules explained · How to choose HR software: requirements, questions to ask and when not to buy · How to run a workplace investigation · How to run effective 1:1 meetings · Is overtime pay legally required in the UK? · Maternity leave: the employer's guide · New starter onboarding checklist (UK) · Occupational health referrals: when, how and what happens · Paternity leave from April 2026: leave is day-one, pay is not · Per diem and subsistence rates (UK) · Probation periods under the 2027 rules: can you still dismiss? · Reclaiming statutory maternity pay as a small employer · RIDDOR reporting: what an employer must report, and by when · Right to work checks: the employer's checklist · Rolled-up holiday pay explained · Shared parental leave: a worked example · Shift allowance in the UK · Sickness absence review meetings · Sickness absence trigger points · SSP changes from April 2026: what small businesses need to know · Subject access requests: the employer's guide · Switching HR software: the export test, the parallel month and the cut-over checklist · The 48-hour week and the working time opt-out · The 8 reasons to refuse flexible working · The Bradford Factor explained · The disciplinary procedure for a small business: the Acas Code, step by step · The duty to prevent sexual harassment · The flexible working two-month deadline · The HR board report: what to include and what to leave out · The redundancy process, step by step · The return-to-work plan after mental-health absence: a practical guide · The unfair dismissal 6-month rule: what actually changes on 1 January 2027 · Time off work for medical appointments: the UK rules explained · TOIL rules for employers: how to run time off in lieu · TOIL vs overtime pay: which is better? · Training needs analysis · UK employment tribunal statistics: what the latest MoJ figures show · UK sickness absence statistics · UK staff turnover statistics: what can actually be verified · UK statutory annual leave explained · UK statutory rates for employers, 2026/27 · Unpaid parental leave: the employer's guide to the 18 weeks · What an employment tribunal actually costs an employer · What can an employer ask occupational health? · Written statement of employment particulars
Handbooks 3
Employee handbook template: what a UK staff handbook should include · Health and safety for small businesses: what UK law requires · HR policies required by law in the UK: what a small business must have
Calculators 27
9-box grid · Absence cost calculator (UK) · Absence rate calculator (UK) · Annual leave purchase calculator (holiday purchase scheme) · Bradford Factor calculator · Cost per hire calculator (UK recruitment spend) · Holiday accrual calculator (UK) · Holiday pay calculator for irregular hours (12.07%) · Leaver holiday calculator (final pay, UK) · Maternity pay calculator for employers (2026/27) · Mileage claim calculator (UK): AMAP, the 10,000-mile step and what's taxable · Minimum wage checker for salaried staff (2026/27) · Notice pay calculator (UK) · Notice period calculator: the last day of employment · Overtime pay calculator (UK) · Paternity pay calculator (2026/27) · Payroll cut-off date calculator · PENP calculator (post-employment notice pay) · Pro-rata holiday calculator (UK) · Redundancy cost calculator for employers (2026/27) · Salary sacrifice calculator (UK) · SSP cost calculator for employers (2026 rules) · Staff turnover rate calculator (UK) · Term-time only holiday calculator (UK) · True cost of an employee calculator (UK, 2026/27) · Unfair dismissal basic award calculator (UK) · Workplace pension contribution calculator (UK)
Templates 45
4-week rolling rota template · Annual leave request form template · Anti-harassment and dignity at work policy template · Appraisal form template · Attendance warning letter templates · Carer's leave policy template for UK employers · Company asset register template · DBS check policy template · Disciplinary policy template · DSE workstation assessment checklist · Employee benefits policy template (UK) · Employee code of conduct template · Employee privacy notice template · Equal opportunities policy template · Exit interview form: a UK template with 15 questions that get honest answers · Expenses policy template (UK) · Grievance procedure template · Health and safety policy template · HR data retention schedule template · Hybrid working policy template · Individual stress risk assessment template · Interview scorecard template · Job description template · Job offer letter template · Medical appointments policy template · Neonatal care leave policy template · New starter checklist · Occupational health referral letter template · Parental bereavement leave policy template · Phased return to work plan template · PIP template UK | Acas-aligned performance improvement plan · Record of processing activities template · Responding to a flexible working request · Return-to-work interview questions: examples and a ready-to-use template · Sickness absence policy template · Supplier register template · The HR software requirements checklist: what to demand, what to skip · The right to work check checklist: before day one, on the day, and after · TOIL policy template for UK employers · TOIL tracker template · UK timesheet template · Weekly rota template · Whistleblowing policy template · Working time opt-out agreement template · Written statement of employment particulars template
Comparisons 15
BambooHR pricing in the UK · Breathe HR pricing · CharlieHR pricing · CoDash vs Access PeopleHR · CoDash vs BambooHR · CoDash vs Breathe · CoDash vs BrightHR · CoDash vs Charlie HR · CoDash vs Employment Hero · CoDash vs Factorial · CoDash vs HiBob · CoDash vs Personio · CoDash vs Sage HR · HiBob pricing: what we could and could not find · HR software vs spreadsheets
The software behind the research
We write these because we build the product that handles them: UK-ready leave and absence, expenses with HMRC mileage and per-diem rates, documents, compliance registers and an AI manager coach - in one dashboard. Try it with real data in a safe sandbox.
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