Seasonal workers: The 2026 rules for UK employers

It’s the first week of November. Your Christmas temps start on Monday, the contract template in the shared drive is from last year, and someone has just asked whether a temp who calls in sick on day one gets paid.

The answer changed in April. Since 6th  April 2026, statutory sick pay starts on the first day of sickness, so yes, they can, if they meet other eligibility conditions. This guide covers what changed in 2026. It also sets out what to check before the first shift and what to prepare for in 2027.

What is a seasonal worker?

You know this, but for a quick definition: A seasonal worker is someone hired for a fixed period tied to a predictable peak in demand, such as Christmas, summer or harvest time. The law has no separate category for them. Depending on the arrangement, a seasonal worker is an employee, a worker or an agency worker, and the same core rights apply.

Employers often call them Christmas temps or casual staff. In law, what matters is the contract and how the work is done. The two most common set-ups are fixed-term contracts for the season and zero-hours arrangements, and the next section covers both.

How do you hire seasonal workers?

Start with the contract type and choose it before you advertise. 

It decides how accrued holiday builds up, how shifts are offered and how the engagement ends.

Employers often call these workers “casual”, but the law doesn’t use that term. 

For definitions, read the zero-hour contract changes blog and our fixed-term contract guide.

How do you run a seasonal hire, step by step?

Work through these stages in order, from the first offer to the January review.

1. Before you advertise. Choose the contract type for each role, and check your right to work process. From 1st October 2026 it covers individuals on worker contracts, such as casual, zero-hours and agency workers.
2. Before the offer. Check each worker’s age band against the 2026 pay rates, and agree on the holiday pay method.
3. On or before day one. Give the written statement, and check that payroll applies statutory sick pay from the first day.
4. Before the first shift. Complete the right to work check, and run a health and safety induction with a named buddy.
5. During the season. Track hours and holidays as you go, and keep holiday and pay records for six years.
6. At the end date. Pay final wages and any unpaid accrued holiday, then decide whether to rehire.
7. January 2027. Review contracts and shift terms for the unfair dismissal change on 1st January 2027, and for the zero-hours rules expected in 2027.

Simon Obee, Head of HR Advisory at Employment Hero:

“Most issues with seasonal staff arise due to confusion about how they are engaged. Make sure you under their status – for example are they engaged on a fixed-term or zero-hours basis, and the different obligations that apply as a result.””

Does a seasonal worker need a written statement?

Every seasonal worker needs a written statement on or before their first day, including zero-hours workers. 

Read our 2026 contracts article for the full list of required terms.

How much do seasonal workers get paid?

Seasonal workers must get at least the minimum wage for their age. From 1st April 2026, that’s £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, under the National Living Wage. Younger workers have their own rates.

Check each worker’s age band on their first day. Check again when a birthday moves them into a higher band during the season. 

Our guide to the National Living Wage 2026 changes sets out the employer checks.

Do seasonal workers pay tax?

Yes. Seasonal workers pay income tax and National Insurance through PAYE, the same as any employee. Their pay is reported to HMRC through Real Time Information (RTI) on or before each payday.

Do seasonal workers get sick pay?

Yes. Statutory sick pay is payable from the first day of sickness, at £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings if that is lower. The 2026 sick pay changes guide covers the calculation in full.

Do seasonal workers get holiday pay?

Seasonal workers get 5.6 weeks of paid holiday under the Working Time Regulations 1998, the same as other workers. The difference is how it builds up when hours vary.

Irregular-hours and part-year workers build holiday at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period. Alternatively, they can use rolled-up holiday pay, paid with each payslip rather than when they take leave. The calculation rules are covered in the articles linked below.

For the calculation, read how to work out holiday pay for zero-hours and irregular workers, how to calculate a 52-week average and our help centre article on rolled-up holiday pay.

Do you need to check the right to work for seasonal workers?

Yes. From 1st October 2026, right to work checks cover individuals on worker contracts, such as casual, zero-hours and agency workers, as well as employees, under section 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025. The check must be done before the first shift. For agency staff, the business that engages the worker, usually the agency, runs the check.

The Home Office Code of Practice was published recently with more details and info.

Do seasonal workers need health and safety training?

Yes. Health and safety duties apply to seasonal and temporary staff in the same way as to other workers. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to give temporary workers clear information and adequate training about the risks in their role and the safety measures in place.

Before the first shift, make sure seasonal staff know:

• The risks in their role, such as equipment, lone working or dealing with customers.
• The safety procedures, and who to report an incident to.
• Any protective equipment the role needs.

Include seasonal staff in your risk assessments, and consider pairing them with a buddy during their first days. A short induction and a buddy system reduce the risk of incidents and help new starters settle in quickly.

If you hire anyone under 18, your risk assessment must take account of their age, inexperience and maturity before they start. Young workers also generally can’t work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week.

What happens when a seasonal contract ends?

A fixed-term contract ends on its end date unless it’s renewed. Set that date in the contract before the first shift. Expiry without renewal counts as dismissal in law, so keep the end date and the reason in writing.

Final pay must include wages for all hours worked and any accrued holiday pay that hasn’t already been paid.

A returning worker needs new terms for the new season. Don’t assume last year’s contract still applies. Whether service carries over from one season to the next depends on the gaps between contracts, so take advice before you promise returning staff any rights.

How do you keep seasonal workers for next season?

Keep your best seasonal workers. Retaining them cuts recruitment and training costs and shortens the learning curve at the next peak. Four steps help:

1. Offer flexible shifts and fair treatment across the whole team.
2. Give feedback often, and recognise good work.
3. Give strong performers supervisory roles where you can, even if they’re temporary. This builds future leaders for the next peak.
4. Keep in touch after the contract ends, and invite your best performers back before you advertise the role.

Regular or long-term seasonal work can affect someone’s employment status, so check it before you rehire the same person season after season.

What changes in 2027?

Two changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025 arrive in 2027, and both affect contracts written this autumn.

From 1st January 2027, unfair dismissal protection applies to employees after six months’ service, and the compensation cap goes. A seasonal contract that runs past six months carries that protection. 

Simon Obee, Head of HR Advisory, Employment Hero:

“Seasonal staff engaged on employment contracts will gain unfair dismissal rights sooner than when they used to, under the ERA changes. If an employee’s service carries over from one season to the next, they can reach six months sooner than most employers expect. So be sure you know the status before terminating their engagement.”

Zero-hours and low-hours workers are expected to get guaranteed hours, reasonable notice of shifts and pay for short-notice cancellations later in 2027. 

Read our guide to the zero-hours changes.

Worked example: three Christmas temps

These fictional workers show how the checks apply to different contracts.

• Ana, 24, fixed-term for seven weeks from 2nd November. Her rate is £12.71 an hour. Give her a written statement with the end date on day one, and check her right to work before her first shift.
• Ben, 19, zero-hours from 9th November. His rate is £10.85 an hour. If he’s off sick in his first week, he can get statutory sick pay from the first day.
• Chloe, 17, weekends from 21st November. Her rate is £8.00 an hour. Before her first shift, run a health and safety induction and assign her a buddy. Keep her hours within 8 a day and 40 a week.

Seasonal hiring checklist: 2026 rules

Use this list before every seasonal start. The rules are as of October 2026.

• Choose the contract type for each role, and write it down.
• Give every worker a written statement on or before day one, including zero-hours workers.
• Check each worker’s age band against the 2026 pay rates.
• Run right to work checks before the first shift, for every worker type.
• If you use an agency, confirm in writing that it runs right to work checks.
• Check the contract, absence policy and payroll for statutory sick pay from day one.
• Choose the holiday pay method and tell the worker in writing.
• If you use rolled-up holiday pay, show it as a separate item on each payslip.
• Keep holiday and pay records for six years.
• Set a clear end date and reason for each fixed-term contract.
• Include wages and any unpaid accrued holiday in final pay.
• Diary a review in January 2027, when the unfair dismissal rules change.

Let’s talk about getting contracts, hiring and payroll right (this season and beyond)

Book a demo and we’ll talk through your seasonal contracts, hiring and payroll, for this Christmas and the seasons after it. We’ll show you how Employment Hero helps you run them right, from the first offer to the final payslip.