Written statement of employment particulars: what you must get and when

Your employer must give you a written statement of your main terms on or before your first day of work. The right covers employees and workers, so it applies to most people starting a public sector job, including many on bank or casual arrangements. The statement is a separate document from your contract. Check it first once a conditional offer has turned into a start date.

What the principal statement must include

The first document, usually called the principal statement, has to cover the basics. Acas and GOV.UK list these:

• your name, the employer’s name and the employer’s address
• your start date, and for employees the date your continuous employment began (which can be earlier if a previous job counts)
• your job title or a short description of the work
• where you will work
• your pay, including how much, how often and when it is paid
• your hours and days, and whether and how they can change
• holiday entitlement and how holiday pay is worked out
• the length of the job, or the end date if it is fixed-term
• any probation period, its length and its conditions
• other benefits
• training you must complete, including any you have to pay for yourself

If you will work abroad for more than a month, extra details about the stay and the pay are required too.

Information that can sit in another document

Some terms must also be given on the first day but may be in a separate document you can easily get to, such as a staff handbook or an intranet policy. These are sick leave and sick pay, other paid leave such as maternity or paternity leave, and notice periods on both sides. If the statement points to another document, it should say what the document is and where to find it.

Make sure the document exists and that you can open it. Notice periods covers the statutory minimum if your paperwork gives no figure.

What can follow within two months

A second group of terms may arrive later, no more than two months after you start:

• pension arrangements and the scheme you belong to
• any collective agreements that affect your terms
• training the employer offers that is not compulsory
• disciplinary rules and the disciplinary and grievance procedures

Employers often send these as a handbook or a link to policies. If your offer letter promised something specific, such as a pay point, check that the statement matches it.

Changes to your terms

If your terms change after you start, your employer must tell you within one month of making the change. A new statement or a letter can do that. If a change was made that you have not agreed to, Acas or your union can tell you where you stand.

Statement and contract

A contract starts when you accept a job offer, and it does not have to be in writing. The statement records the main terms and is a legal requirement in its own right. An employer that sends a statement has not necessarily sent the whole contract, and one that never sends a statement still has a contract with you. Read the two together. More about the contract itself is in Your employment contract.

If you are still at the conditional offer stage, the statement should hold no surprises, because the offer letter should already give your job title, pay and start date. The conditional offer guide covers what can still change before you start.

What to check when it arrives

Compare the statement with your offer letter and the advert. Look at the grade or band, the pay figure and whether it is full-time or pro rata, your hours, your place of work, the probation length and the notice period. Probation periods explains how probation works in public sector jobs.

If you spot a mistake, raise it with HR in writing and attach the offer letter. Errors in pay or hours are easier to fix in the first weeks than after months of working to the wrong terms.

If you do not get one

Start informally: ask your manager or HR for the statement. If nothing comes, you can raise a formal grievance. As a last resort you can take the matter to an employment tribunal, which will decide what the statement should have said.

A tribunal can award compensation for a missing statement only if you win another claim at the same time, such as one about unlawful deductions from pay. The award can be up to four weeks’ pay, and there is a limit on the weekly figure used. Time limits for tribunal claims are strict, so speak to Acas, a trade union or Citizens Advice early. The Acas helpline is free.