The Hardest Market · United Kingdom
United Kingdom's HR data
The rules and costs of employing people in United Kingdom (London), from official sources, in English and Japanese.
Every UK employer with 250 or more staff publishes its gender pay gap each year. See them by sector, in rankings and for Japanese-owned employers. See the employers
Employment rules
| Statutory annual leave | 5.6 weeks (28 days), may include bank holidays |
|---|---|
| Public holidays (2026) | 8 days |
| Notice of dismissal | 1 week per year of service, max 12 weeks (contracts usually 1-3 months) |
| Severance required by law | Statutory redundancy pay after 2 years, max £22,530 |
| Typical negotiated exit | No official benchmark; settlement agreements common |
| Probation | Not statutory; typically 3-6 months |
| Working hours | 48-hour weekly average, opt-out allowed |
| How hard is dismissal? | Moderate: fair reason and procedure after 2 years (6 months from 2027) |
Employer contributions
| Employer National Insurance | 15% |
|---|---|
| Apprenticeship Levy | 0.5% |
| Workplace pension (auto-enrolment minimum) | 3% |
Employee contributions
| National Insurance (8% band) | 8% |
|---|---|
| National Insurance (2% above upper limit) | 2% |
Take-home pay and employer cost by annual salary
| Annual salary | Employee contributions | Income tax | Take-home | Employer cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £35,000 | £1,794 | £4,486 | £28,720 | £40,538 |
| £55,000 | £3,111 | £9,432 | £42,457 | £64,096 |
| £80,000 | £3,611 | £19,432 | £56,957 | £92,971 |
| £120,000 | £4,411 | £39,432 | £76,157 | £139,171 |
Employee in London (England), UK resident and a UK national (no expatriate regime), single with no dependants, salary only paid evenly as monthly pay (no bonus, no benefits in kind), standard personal allowance, no student loan or salary sacrifice. Tax year 6 April 2026 - 5 April 2027 (income tax rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scottish rates do not apply in London). National Insurance category A (employee aged 21 or over). Employer side assumes a large employer (pay bill over £3 million, so the Apprenticeship Levy applies and the Employment Allowance is ignored) paying the statutory minimum auto-enrolment pension contribution.