A zero-hours contract means your employer doesn’t guarantee you any set hours — but it does not mean you have no rights. You’re still owed the minimum wage, paid holiday, and protection from being blocked from other work. And big new rights — guaranteed hours and shift notice — are on the way. Here’s what you’re entitled to now, and what’s coming.
A zero-hours contract is one where the employer doesn’t guarantee a minimum number of hours, and you’re usually not obliged to accept the work they offer. It suits some people (flexibility around study or caring), but the risk is one-sided: unpredictable income and shifts.
Crucially, being “zero hours” doesn’t remove your core employment rights — you’re a worker (and often an employee) with legal protections for the hours you do work.
| Right | What it means |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | At least the National Minimum / Living Wage for every hour worked |
| Paid holiday | 5.6 weeks a year, pro rata — often ~12.07% of the hours you work |
| Rest breaks | The same working-time rest breaks as other workers |
| No discrimination | Protection under the Equality Act 2010 |
| Sick pay | Statutory Sick Pay if you meet the conditions (see below) |
| Payslips | An itemised payslip showing pay and deductions |
Because a zero-hours employer doesn’t guarantee you hours, the law protects your right to take other work. An exclusivity clause — one that tries to stop you working for anyone else — is unenforceable. Your employer cannot:
You can get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) on a zero-hours contract if you meet the qualifying conditions. From April 2026 the SSP rules changed to remove the waiting days and the lower earnings limit, widening who qualifies. Because zero-hours pay varies, whether you qualify can change — so check each time you’re off sick. See our Statutory Sick Pay guide for the current rules.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (which became law in December 2025) introduces major new protections for zero-hours and similar workers, aimed at ending “one-sided flexibility”:
Check your payslips show the minimum wage and holiday pay. If they don’t — or you’re being pressured not to take other work — get free advice from ACAS (0300 123 1100) and see underpaid wages.
Struggling on unpredictable income? A benefits check can help — Universal Credit and work tops up low or variable earnings.
Core rights still apply: the minimum wage for hours worked, paid holiday (5.6 weeks pro rata), rest breaks, discrimination protection, itemised payslips, and SSP if you qualify. What’s different is that no minimum hours are guaranteed and you’re usually free to turn work down.
Yes — pro rata to the hours you work, commonly calculated as about 12.07% of hours (or paid as itemised “rolled-up” holiday pay). No holiday pay at all is almost certainly wrong.
No — exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts are unenforceable. Your employer can’t stop you, treat you worse, or dismiss you for taking other work.
You can get Statutory Sick Pay if you meet the conditions — and from April 2026 the waiting days and lower earnings limit were removed, so more people qualify. Because pay varies, check each time.
Not automatically yet — but the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces rights to guaranteed hours, shift notice and short-notice cancellation pay. They’re announced, not in force yet, with detail coming in regulations.
Sources: Zero-hours rights and the coming reforms · ACAS — Zero-hours contracts and ACAS — Employment Rights Act 2025. SortedUK is not a law firm and this is general information — free help from ACAS (0300 123 1100) or Citizens Advice. Last reviewed: 2 July 2026.
You’re owed the minimum wage, paid holiday and the freedom to work elsewhere — and bigger protections are on the way. Check your payslip and know where you stand.