The essence of employment is pay in return for work; the employer's obligation to provide consideration for the individual’s work and skill in the form of a wage or other remuneration is generally regarded as a fundamental ingredient of a contract of employment. This generally gives rise to a duty to pay wages whenever an employee is ready and willing to work. If they are ready and willing to work but unable to do so for reasons beyond their control (ie an unavoidable or involuntary impediment), then they are also entitled to be paid. A worker who deliberately and unreasonably refuses to do any work loses the right to be paid.
Pay can take many different forms. Employers generally agree the basic rate and frequency at which they will pay their employees. Any details agreed at the start of employment must be recorded in the written statement of particulars, as should any changes subsequently agreed. While the contract provides the starting point for determining the employer’s obligations in this area, this will be subject to a number of significant statutory rights that govern a worker’s pay, such as the...
To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.
**Trials are provided to all LexisNexis content, excluding Practice Compliance, Practice Management and Risk and Compliance, subscription packages are tailored to your specific needs. To discuss trialling these LexisNexis services please email customer service via our online form. Free trials are only available to individuals based in the UK, Ireland and selected UK overseas territories and Caribbean countries. We may terminate this trial at any time or decide not to give a trial, for any reason. Trial includes one question to LexisAsk during the length of the trial.
In the Autumn Budget 2026, delivered on 28 October 2026, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey MP, announced: (i) increases to the National...
The Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) has published a collection and four templates for requests and notifications for right to access under the...
Law360: A former Convatec employee can combine the benefit of his inventions at the medical products company when seeking a share of the profits worth...
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released gender pay gap information for the UK in 2026. The data covers differences in pay between men...
What happens to pension contributions when an employee is on Statutory Sick Pay?All employees, irrespective of age, are entitled to claim a statutory sick pay (SSP) as long as they have average earnings of at least £112 per week (from 6 April 2016). SSP is paid at the current rate of £88.45 per week
Car or car allowanceMany employers provide company cars for certain employees as part of their remuneration package, or give them a car or fuel allowance.For sample contract wording, see Precedent: Clauses—car or car allowance.Cars and car allowances not wagesA company car is not wages for the
If a rentcharge is shown as being informally exonerated on title information, does this apply to the current registered owner? Or does the informal exoneration only apply to the parties to the document which informally exonerated the rentcharge?This Q&A considers the situation where, at some point
Late payment penalties—inheritance taxWhile interest often accrues on overdue tax, the late payment of certain taxes may also attract a penalty. For information on the interest accruing on overdue tax, see Practice Notes: IHT—payment deadlines on death—Interest on IHT and Interest on late paid
0330 161 1234