  {"id":50413,"date":"2026-05-06T00:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T00:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/?p=50413"},"modified":"2026-05-06T00:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T00:46:10","slug":"overtime-rules-part-time-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Overtime for Part-Time Workers: What UK Employers Need to Know in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-template-header has-neutral-100-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--16)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div style=\"--bb--crumb-gap:.4em;\" class=\"blog-template-breadcrumb wp-block-employmentherocom2025-breadcrumb-block\"><nav role=\"navigation\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumbs\" class=\"breadcrumb\"><ol class=\"breadcrumb-items\"><li class=\"breadcrumb-item breadcrumb-item--current breadcrumb-item--home\"><span class=\"breadcrumb-item-name\">Home<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"item\":{\"name\":\"Home\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/employmenthero.com\\\/uk\\\/\"}}]}<\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-tags-row is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--9)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-tags is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-ghost is-style-ghost--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-btn-black-background-color has-background wp-element-button has-icon__eye\"><span class=\"wp-block-button__link-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg width=\"20\" height=\"20\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_5893_17419)\"> <path d=\"M19.8727 9.55732C19.7127 9.30315 15.8927 3.33398 10.0002 3.33398C4.10771 3.33398 0.287713 9.30315 0.127713 9.55732C0.0442677 9.69013 0 9.8438 0 10.0007C0 10.1575 0.0442677 10.3112 0.127713 10.444C0.287713 10.6982 4.10771 16.6673 10.0002 16.6673C15.8927 16.6673 19.7127 10.6982 19.8727 10.444C19.9562 10.3112 20.0004 10.1575 20.0004 10.0007C20.0004 9.8438 19.9562 9.69013 19.8727 9.55732ZM10.0002 15.0007C5.88605 15.0007 2.80271 11.299 1.84855 10.0007C3.12342 8.22835 4.79779 6.78123 6.73605 5.77648C6.15544 6.50283 5.83739 7.40411 5.83355 8.33398C5.83355 9.43905 6.27253 10.4989 7.05394 11.2803C7.83534 12.0617 8.89514 12.5007 10.0002 12.5007C11.1053 12.5007 12.1651 12.0617 12.9465 11.2803C13.7279 10.4989 14.1669 9.43905 14.1669 8.33398C14.1629 7.40674 13.8468 6.50785 13.2694 5.78232C15.2033 6.78886 16.8752 8.23337 18.1519 10.0007C17.201 11.3015 14.1277 15.0007 10.0002 15.0007Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath id=\"clip0_5893_17419\"> <rect width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"white\"\/> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg><\/span>Blog<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-social-desktop is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\"><div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"facebook\" data-social-type=\"facebook\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"24px\" height=\"24px\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Group<\/title> <path d=\"M14.4446 6.47609H11.4173V4.40033C11.4173 3.62078 11.9115 3.43904 12.2596 3.43904C12.6068 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904 14.3958 3.43904V0.0120058L11.4537 0C8.18772 0 7.44447 2.55599 7.44447 4.19168V6.47609H5.55566V10.0075H7.44447C7.44447 14.5394 7.44447 20 7.44447 20H11.4173C11.4173 20 11.4173 14.4856 11.4173 10.0075H14.0981L14.4446 6.47609Z\"><\/path><\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"twitter\" data-social-type=\"twitter\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17\" height=\"18\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 18\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"> <g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_2187_1527)\"> <path d=\"M6.88269 10.3821L0.554058 18H2.05374L7.54889 11.3855L11.9379 18H17L10.363 7.99774L17 0.00924304H15.5002L9.69721 6.99436L5.06215 0.00924304H-5.51343e-07L6.88306 10.3821H6.88269ZM8.93683 7.90961L9.60929 8.90561L14.9598 16.8309H12.6563L8.33833 10.4349L7.66587 9.43894L2.05303 1.12518H4.35659L8.93683 7.90923V7.90961Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path> <\/g> <defs> <clipPath id=\"clip0_2187_1527\"> <rect width=\"17\" height=\"18\" fill=\"white\" transform=\"matrix(-1 0 0 -1 17 18)\"><\/rect> <\/clipPath> <\/defs> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"linkedin\" data-social-type=\"linkedin\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"17px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 17 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"> <title>Shape<\/title> <g id=\"Symbols\" stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"> <g id=\"Icons\/Social\" transform=\"translate(-74.000000, -2.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\"> <path d=\"M74.2155762,7.20409322 L77.8588786,7.20409322 L77.8588786,18 L74.2155762,18 L74.2155762,7.20409322 Z M76.0616143,2 C74.8146643,2 74,2.80609002 74,3.86411056 C74,4.90036967 74.7908238,5.72989508 76.0139333,5.72989508 L76.0371667,5.72989508 C77.3079571,5.72989508 78.0993476,4.90032981 78.0993476,3.86411056 C78.0755071,2.80609002 77.3079976,2 76.0616143,2 Z M86.8041976,6.95048874 C84.8702857,6.95048874 84.0038929,7.99790755 83.5205667,8.73245583 L83.5205667,7.20409322 L79.8761714,7.20409322 C79.924419,8.21687707 79.8761714,18 79.8761714,18 L83.5205667,18 L83.5205667,11.9708054 C83.5205667,11.6478911 83.5444071,11.3261725 83.6402952,11.0948476 C83.9041595,10.4502147 84.5037738,9.78266458 85.5095667,9.78266458 C86.8291714,9.78266458 87.3561714,10.773129 87.3561714,12.2237722 L87.3561714,18 L91,18 L91,11.8093881 C91,8.49339883 89.2027762,6.95048874 86.8041976,6.95048874 Z\" id=\"Shape\"><\/path> <\/g> <\/g> <\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n<div \n    class=\"eh-social-sharing-button wp-block-employmentherocom2025-eh-social-sharing-button\" data-icon=\"link\" data-social-type=\"copy\">\n    <span style=\"display: flex;\">\n        <svg class=\"icon\" width=\"18\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 19\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path transform=\"translate(6.640285, 0)\" d=\"M9.6365839,1.06427739 L9.6365839,1.06407143 C7.63313006,-0.581342526 4.71799441,-0.287025772 3.06469376,1.72767436 L1.68152847,3.42787366 C1.2637913,3.94153775 1.3305731,4.70585509 1.8305341,5.13486964 C2.33069565,5.56409016 3.0749216,5.4955055 3.49265877,4.98184141 L4.8760246,3.28143615 C5.71089731,2.25863908 7.1949372,2.1243532 8.19104884,2.98176443 C8.20769415,2.99597567 8.22413891,3.01059882 8.24038313,3.02522198 C9.18174573,3.92361924 9.26838157,5.42383144 8.43691815,6.43015171 L5.5610895,9.96627791 L5.53461744,9.99634806 C5.38079871,10.1792405 5.20090901,10.3370058 5.00076417,10.4640831 C4.04676718,11.0718709 2.80719278,10.901748 2.04211006,10.0579301 C1.59709864,9.56877523 0.850065046,9.54303024 0.374169553,10.0002613 C-0.100522665,10.4562566 -0.127195273,11.2205739 0.315008503,11.7099348 C1.3991598,12.9045024 2.99670869,13.4575049 4.56377459,13.1800768 C4.80503134,13.1364133 5.04287882,13.0742134 5.27470991,12.9934771 C6.09434113,12.7094584 6.82152068,12.1980598 7.37542854,11.5155086 L10.2440375,7.98947441 C11.0680808,6.96832503 11.4617524,5.65182909 11.3372134,4.33183184 C11.2235039,3.05137889 10.6100339,1.87267016 9.6365839,1.06427739\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><path transform=\"translate(0, 5.762765)\" d=\"M7.78481199,8.39527139 L6.54864687,9.91484383 C5.73222439,10.9339336 4.27946967,11.1129128 3.25127068,10.3214088 C2.2300908,9.49612727 2.05361038,7.97696676 2.85719793,6.92821874 C2.87083505,6.91050619 2.88447217,6.89299959 2.89851039,6.87569896 L5.82387388,3.27984437 L5.84553284,3.25492322 C5.99915102,3.07203079 6.17924127,2.91447144 6.37938611,2.78739415 C7.23972815,2.23645131 8.34754387,2.31595185 9.12506044,2.98449782 C9.2157072,3.06235067 9.30073868,3.14700021 9.37915214,3.23782854 C9.60657122,3.50207514 9.93486491,3.6513961 10.2784001,3.64665902 C10.6175233,3.64171598 10.9377951,3.48498047 11.155588,3.21764447 L11.1696262,3.20034383 C11.5426416,2.74620216 11.5342187,2.07930388 11.1497722,1.63546021 C9.42768425,-0.367088286 6.45118155,-0.55698335 4.50107292,1.21159465 C4.32298813,1.37306725 4.15713665,1.54813319 4.00472174,1.73555674 L1.08738009,5.32173121 C-0.548874157,7.35084854 -0.312430505,10.3492133 1.62043117,12.0813364 C2.56821124,12.921447 3.80678291,13.3317192 5.05377751,13.2188532 C5.20097822,13.2064956 5.34697566,13.1875473 5.49176982,13.1613904 C6.61362375,12.9593437 7.63039162,12.3585585 8.36398864,11.4636626 L9.59594229,9.94923914 C10.0136795,9.43578101 9.94709821,8.67146367 9.44693666,8.24224316 C8.94677511,7.81302264 8.20254916,7.8816073 7.78481199,8.39527139\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/svg> \n    <\/span>\n            <span class=\"eh-social-sharing-button__copied_text\">\n            URL copied for sharing!        <\/span>\n    <\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-content-justification-left is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-5 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><h1 class=\"blog-template-title wp-block-post-title\">Overtime for Part-Time Workers: What UK Employers Need to Know in 2026<\/h1><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group blog-template-meta-row is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-custom-post-date has-sm-font-size\">\n    <span>Published<\/span>&nbsp;<time datetime=\"2026-05-06T00:46:09+00:00\">May 6, 2026<\/time>\n<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sm-font-size\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-700);border-left-width:1px;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--2)\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull blog-image-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized blog-template-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers-uk-2026.webp\" alt=\"A smiling young male cinema employee holding a popcorn bucket in a hallway, representing the types of shift-based part-time workers UK employers need to consider when navigating the updated 2026 overtime rules.\" class=\"wp-image-50415\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:864px;height:561px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers-uk-2026.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers-uk-2026-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers-uk-2026-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers-uk-2026-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers-uk-2026-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/overtime-rules-part-time-workers-uk-2026-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:66px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group sticky-side-panel is-vertical is-content-justification-stretch is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-11 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-2 is-position-sticky\">\n<p class=\"has-lg-font-size\" style=\"border-bottom-color:var(--wp--preset--color--neutral-200);border-bottom-width:0.1rem;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\"><strong>Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"content-single-table-content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<div id=\"content-wrapper\" class=\"wp-block-group content-wrapper has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-12 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--4)\">\n<p>If you offer overtime for <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/part-time-worker-entitlements\/\">part-time workers<\/a>, it\u2019s essential to treat them equally to your full-time employees. While overtime isn\u2019t a statutory right in the UK, if an employer does offer it, the law requires that part-time workers aren\u2019t treated less favourably when it comes to getting paid for their work. This is covered in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/uksi\/2000\/1551\/contents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an employer, it\u2019s vital to understand your obligations when it comes to overtime pay for part-time workers. In this guide, we\u2019re going to look at how overtime works for part-time employees, what rates might apply depending on a worker\u2019s contract, how holiday pay works with overtime pay and what you should be checking to ensure your business is compliant.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What counts as a part-time worker in the UK?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no strict legal threshold for defining when a worker is classed as part-time. In the UK, a part-time worker is defined as someone who regularly works fewer hours than a comparable full-time worker in the same business. For reference, a full-time worker usually works around 35 or more hours a week. If your business only operates for 3 days a week, for example, a full-time worker will naturally work fewer hours, so the definition really depends on each organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This means a part-time worker is defined by the <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/resources\/employment-contract-for-part-time-employees\/\">contracts you sign with your employees<\/a> and what\u2019s usual for your business. The important thing is to keep definitions consistent across your workforce and to treat everyone fairly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s also a difference between the status of part-time workers and part-time employees. A worker is defined as someone with less structured or a less regular working pattern, or they don\u2019t have guaranteed hours in their contract. An employee has more regular working hours and a more clearly defined role, usually with more responsibility and obligations than a worker.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is overtime mandatory for part-time workers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Overtime isn\u2019t something every business will offer and it\u2019s not a statutory right in UK law. Whether any overtime is compulsory for workers depends on their contract. They only have to do it if contractually required; otherwise it\u2019s voluntary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A worker\u2019s contract should also define if any available overtime is guaranteed, or if the employer has the right to stop them from working it if needed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whichever type of overtime is available to workers, taking it comes with certain pay obligations as defined by a worker\u2019s contract.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is no statutory overtime rate in UK law. Employers are not legally required to pay more than the National Minimum Wage for overtime hours, unless their employment contract, collective agreement, or company policy says otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When does overtime kick in for a part-time worker?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The point at which a worker is considered to be doing overtime will usually depend on their contract. This can happen in a couple of different ways:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table custom-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Scenario A<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Scenario B<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Overtime pay kicks in when a worker works over their contracted hours, either with compulsory or voluntary overtime. So a worker on 20 hours per week starts earning overtime at 21 hours, regardless of the full-time hours equivalent. If the same system applies to a full-time worker working over their contracted hours, the part-time worker would receive the same enhanced pay rate.&nbsp;<\/td><td>Overtime pay only kicks in when the part-time worker works over the normal hours of full-time workers. This is the less common approach, but some contracts demand that a part-time worker must work more than the equivalent full-time hours before they receive enhanced pay. Before this threshold, the part-time worker would receive their usual hourly rate.&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why it\u2019s so important for overtime to be explicitly covered within a worker\u2019s contract. If a part-time worker\u2019s contract doesn\u2019t provide clear rules on overtime pay, it leaves open the possibility for claiming unfavourable treatment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at a working example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example: <\/strong>Sarah works 24 hours a week over 3 days. Her full-time colleagues work 37.5 hours. Her contract says overtime applies to all hours above her contracted 24. She works 28 hours in one week, the additional 4 hours are overtime and must be paid at the same enhanced rate that a full-time worker would receive for their first 4 overtime hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overtime pay rates: what does the law say?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just as there\u2019s no automatic legal right to overtime, there are no specific rates set for overtime pay. National Minimum Wage still applies, so total pay must never fall below this threshold, including any overtime worked.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 also apply here, meaning that overtime rates that apply to full-time workers must apply equally to part-time workers. This could be achieved by simply having a flat overtime rate, or standard rate categories such as time-and-a-half or double-time. These need to be applied fairly and equally to your workforce, regardless of full-time or part-time workers&#8217; status.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Equal treatment and part-time worker protections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Part-time workers have specific legal protections, as well as general workers\u2019 rights in the UK. Protections for part-time workers are set out in the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The core aspects of these regulations stipulate that part-time workers cannot be treated less favourably than comparable full-time workers, unless there\u2019s a legitimate and necessary business reason. Under current case law, for a claim of &#8216;less favourable treatment&#8217; to succeed, the worker&#8217;s part-time status must be the sole reason for the difference in treatment, rather than just one of several contributing factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Part-time workers should get the same treatment when it comes to:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Pay<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Access to overtime and overtime pay<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Holidays<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pension opportunities\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Training\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promotions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Note for 2026<\/strong>: As of April 2026, the new Fair Work Agency has the authority to inspect payroll records and enforce holiday pay and National Minimum Wage compliance directly. This means businesses no longer just face risks from individual employee tribunals, but also from proactive state enforcement and fines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">National Minimum Wage and overtime<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/statutory-pay-for-retention\/\">National Minimum Wage<\/a> still applies when it comes to overtime pay, meaning a worker\u2019s total pay cannot dip below the National Minimum Wage when overtime is factored in. This normally shouldn\u2019t be a problem if you\u2019re keeping on top of your payroll calculations, but there are a couple of situations where it could be a risk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any unpaid overtime worked could potentially drop an employee&#8217;s total pay below the threshold, as could salaried workers being asked to work additional hours beyond their usual contracted hours. These are things your regular payroll checks should cover, especially for workers on variable hours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Employers should also be mindful of the April 2026 SSP reforms. Statutory Sick Pay is now payable from the first day of illness (removing &#8216;waiting days&#8217;) and the Lower Earnings Limit has been abolished. This increases the secondary costs of overtime, as any uplift in hours may affect the total sick pay liability for part-time staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Holiday pay and overtime: what must be included<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What about holiday pay for workers who have access to overtime? Under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/uksi\/1998\/1833\/contents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Working Time Regulations 1998<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.uk\/ukpga\/1996\/18\/contents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Employment Rights Act 1996<\/a>, holiday pay should always reflect \u2018normal remuneration\u2019. What this means in practice is that a worker\u2019s holiday pay should be calculated to match their usual pay packet, even if they work part-time or have irregular hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Holiday pay calculations for part-time workers must include any regular overtime worked, using the past year as a guide if possible. Calculate the average hourly rate over the last full <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/calculate-52-week-average-for-holiday-pay\/\">52 weeks worked<\/a>. For workers with irregular hours or part-year patterns, employers can now choose to use &#8216;rolled-up&#8217; holiday pay. This allows you to pay an additional 12.07% on top of the hourly rate for overtime worked, provided it is clearly itemised as holiday pay on the payslip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This must include any type of overtime worked, whether compulsory or voluntary, guaranteed or non-guaranteed. Make sure your payroll includes every type of overtime you offer and always keep the calculations updated to reflect changing hours or shifting work patterns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contractual clauses employers must review<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The best method of avoiding admin errors or confusion around overtime pay is to ensure overtime terms are clearly set out in all employment contracts. Here are some key clauses to review to make sure you\u2019re fully compliant and providing clear information:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Overtime eligibility<\/strong> &#8211; Define who can work overtime and whether it\u2019s voluntary or compulsory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Guaranteed overtime<\/strong> &#8211; Set out if available overtime is guaranteed or not i.e. can you stop an employee from taking overtime if necessary?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Overtime threshold<\/strong> &#8211; Is overtime classed as hours worked above contracted hours, or above full-time equivalent hours?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Overtime rates<\/strong> &#8211; Establish what the overtime pay rates are for everyone, and when each kicks in depending on when or how much overtime is worked.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flexibility clauses<\/strong> &#8211; How do flexible or irregular hours impact overtime availability or pay thresholds?\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Variable hours<\/strong> &#8211; Can hours be changed without impacting contractual obligations?\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The important thing is to ensure that contract clauses are clear and understandable. Ambiguous or vague language is a fast route to employment tribunal claims, with so much room for misunderstanding when it comes to overtime and pay calculations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Payroll and HR process considerations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For your HR team, keeping on top of workers\u2019 hours is vital. Part-time workers with a variable schedule need to have their worked hours tracked accurately, including any overtime. This is the only way to ensure payroll is using the right information to create accurate payslips for all your workers and correctly calculating holiday pay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The easiest way to minimise risk is to use <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/products\/hr-software\/?_gl=1*bju39d*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTExMDA4MTc2NS4xNzc3Mjg1MzQ3*_ga_MY3HH023LK*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzAkdDE3NzcyODUzNDckajYwJGwwJGgxMTc1MzU1NDk2*_ga_ML8PXVWRJC*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzAkdDE3NzcyODUzNDckajYwJGwxJGg4NjM5NzM5OTA.*_ga_VHGZ32WPC5*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzAkdDE3NzcyODUzNDckajYwJGwwJGgxMjE2MjIxNjcx*_ga_J63CFG5J34*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzAkdDE3NzcyODUzNDckajYwJGwwJGgyMTA3NTM1OTU3\">automated HR software<\/a> that tracks hours and integrates directly with payroll. This helps to eliminate the risk of human error and ensures you\u2019re meeting compliance for every employee, no matter how irregular their hours are.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common compliance risks (and how to avoid them)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most overtime mistakes don&#8217;t come from bad intent. They come from contracts that haven&#8217;t kept pace with how the business actually operates, or payroll processes built around assumptions that were never written down. Here are the most common pitfalls UK employers run into, and what to do about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Assuming overtime only applies once a part-time worker exceeds a full-time worker\u2019s hours:<\/strong> This is only the case if an employee\u2019s contract explicitly states it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Paying a different overtime rate to part-time workers than to comparable full-time workers: <\/strong>This would be a direct breach of the Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Excluding regular or voluntary overtime from holiday pay calculations: <\/strong>This is a growing area of tribunal claims, so make sure you\u2019re including every type of overtime pay in your calculations.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Contracts that are silent on the overtime threshold: <\/strong>This creates ambiguity and can increase the risk of disputes, as well as exposing the employer to a less favourable treatment claim. It\u2019s always best to explicitly set out all overtime terms in your employee contracts.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Treating casual or <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/zero-hours-contract-template\/\"><strong>zero-hours workers <\/strong><\/a><strong>as exempt from overtime pay rules: <\/strong>The same rules apply if a comparable full-time worker exists, so make sure all your employees are being treated fairly and equitably, no matter their hours or work patterns.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best practices for UK employers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Compliance with overtime rules isn&#8217;t a one-time fix. It needs to be built into how your contracts are written, how your managers record hours and how your payroll runs every pay period. These are the steps worth prioritising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create a clear, written overtime policy that defines eligibility, thresholds and rates. Apply it consistently across all part-time and full-time staff..<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review employment contracts for all part-time staff and confirm the overtime threshold is explicitly defined.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Audit holiday pay calculations to ensure accuracy. If part-time workers regularly work overtime, confirm those hours are included in the 52-week reference period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Train managers on how overtime is approved and recorded, particularly for variable-hours teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/products\/payroll-software\/?_gl=1*19u2uql*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTExMDA4MTc2NS4xNzc3Mjg1MzQ3*_ga_MY3HH023LK*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzEkdDE3NzcyODUzNjMkajQ0JGwwJGgxMTc1MzU1NDk2*_ga_ML8PXVWRJC*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzEkdDE3NzcyODUzNjMkajQ0JGwxJGg4NjM5NzM5OTA.*_ga_VHGZ32WPC5*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzEkdDE3NzcyODUzNjMkajQ0JGwwJGgxMjE2MjIxNjcx*_ga_J63CFG5J34*czE3NzcyODUzNDckbzEkZzEkdDE3NzcyODUzNjMkajQ0JGwwJGgyMTA3NTM1OTU3\">integrated HR and payroll software<\/a> to track hours accurately and reduce the risk of manual errors feeding through to payslips and holiday pay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If contracts are silent or ambiguous, get legal or HR advice before the issue reaches a tribunal.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stay on top of overtime pay with 91爆料<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Unclear overtime policies are one of the most common triggers for employment tribunal claims in the UK. If your contracts are silent on the overtime threshold, if you&#8217;re paying part-time workers at a different rate to comparable full-time staff, or if you&#8217;re still excluding overtime from holiday pay calculations, you&#8217;re carrying real legal and financial risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news is that getting it right isn&#8217;t complicated if you have the right systems in place. Accurate time and attendance tracking feeds directly into payroll, holiday pay calculates automatically against the correct reference period and your team isn&#8217;t manually reconciling hours at the end of every pay run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That&#8217;s exactly what <a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/\">91爆料&#8217;s<\/a> AI-powered HR and payroll software is built to do. Time tracking, payroll processing and employee records all run in one platform, so the data your payroll needs is already there. No manual exports, no spreadsheet errors and no gaps in your compliance records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to find out how 91爆料 can support your business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-2 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/request-a-demo\/\">Book a demo<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"disclaimer has-neutral-700-color has-text-color has-link-color has-xs-font-size wp-elements-5bd361b6dd2234124add7d3051abef06\"><em>Disclaimer: The information in this article is current as of April 2026 and has been prepared by 91爆料 UK Ltd and its related bodies corporate (91爆料). The views expressed in this article are general information only, are provided in good faith to assist employers and their employees, and should not be relied on as professional advice. Some information is based on data supplied by third parties. While such data is believed to be accurate, it has not been independently verified and no warranties are given that it is complete, accurate, up to date or fit for the purpose for which it is required. 91爆料 does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracy in such data and is not liable for any loss or damages arising directly or indirectly as a result of reliance on, use of or inability to use any information provided in this article. You should undertake your own research and seek professional advice before making any decisions or relying on the information in this article<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\r\n\r\n.custom-table {\r\n  display: block;\r\n  overflow-x: auto;\r\n}\r\n\r\n.custom-table table tr:first-child th,\r\n.custom-table table tr:first-child td {\r\n  border: 1px solid #000 !important;\r\n  background-color: #7623d7 !important; \r\n color: #ffffff !important;\r\n  text-align: left;\r\n  padding: 10px;\r\n}\r\n\r\n#content-wrapper a,\r\n#content-wrapper p:not(.disclaimer),\r\n#content-wrapper ol,\r\n#content-wrapper ul {\r\n  font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--paragraph-2-m) !important;\r\n}\r\n\r\n.content-wrapper li > ul li {padding-bottom:0.75rem!important;}\r\n.content-wrapper li:last-child > ul li {padding-bottom:0!important;}\r\n.eh-faq__container {flex-direction:column!important;}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1441px) {\r\n    .eh-faq__content {\r\n       max-width: 904px!important;\r\n        min-width: 715px!important;\r\n    }\r\n}\r\n.eh-faq {padding:0px 0px 24px 0px!important;}\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-faq eh-faq eh-faq__bg-light\"><div class=\"eh-faq__container\"><div class=\"eh-faq__header\"><h2 class=\"eh-faq__title\">FAQs<\/h2><p class=\"eh-faq__subtitle\"><\/p><\/div><div class=\"eh-faq__content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-simple-accordion eh-simple-accordion\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"accordion-1777977648044\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__checkbox\"\/><label for=\"accordion-1777977648044\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__header\"><h3 class=\"eh-simple-accordion__title\">Do part-time employees get overtime in the UK?<\/h3><span class=\"eh-simple-accordion__icon\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M10.3966 3.60341C10.3966 2.71788 11.1145 2 12 2C12.8855 2 13.6034 2.71788 13.6034 3.60341V10.3966H20.3966C21.2822 10.3966 22 11.1145 22 12C22 12.8856 21.2822 13.6034 20.3966 13.6034H13.6034V20.3966C13.6034 21.2822 12.8855 22 12 22C11.1145 22 10.3966 21.2822 10.3966 20.3966V13.6034H3.6034C2.71786 13.6034 2 12.8856 2 12C2 11.1145 2.71786 10.3966 3.6034 10.3966H10.3966V3.60341Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/label><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__content\"><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__inner\">\n<p>There is no automatic statutory right to overtime pay in the UK. Whether a part-time worker receives overtime depends on their employment contract and company policy. However, if comparable full-time workers receive overtime pay, part-time workers must be treated no less favourably under the Part-Time Workers Regulations 2000.<br><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-simple-accordion eh-simple-accordion\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"accordion-1777977673645\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__checkbox\"\/><label for=\"accordion-1777977673645\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__header\"><h3 class=\"eh-simple-accordion__title\">At what point does overtime start for a part-time worker?<\/h3><span class=\"eh-simple-accordion__icon\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M10.3966 3.60341C10.3966 2.71788 11.1145 2 12 2C12.8855 2 13.6034 2.71788 13.6034 3.60341V10.3966H20.3966C21.2822 10.3966 22 11.1145 22 12C22 12.8856 21.2822 13.6034 20.3966 13.6034H13.6034V20.3966C13.6034 21.2822 12.8855 22 12 22C11.1145 22 10.3966 21.2822 10.3966 20.3966V13.6034H3.6034C2.71786 13.6034 2 12.8856 2 12C2 11.1145 2.71786 10.3966 3.6034 10.3966H10.3966V3.60341Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/label><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__content\"><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__inner\">\n<p>It depends on the contract. Most contracts set the threshold at the worker&#8217;s contracted hours, so a worker contracted to 20 hours would start earning overtime at 21 hours. Some contracts set the threshold at the full-time equivalent hours, which is lawful but must be stated explicitly.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-simple-accordion eh-simple-accordion\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"accordion-1777977682239\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__checkbox\"\/><label for=\"accordion-1777977682239\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__header\"><h3 class=\"eh-simple-accordion__title\">Do employers have to pay time-and-a-half for overtime?<\/h3><span class=\"eh-simple-accordion__icon\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M10.3966 3.60341C10.3966 2.71788 11.1145 2 12 2C12.8855 2 13.6034 2.71788 13.6034 3.60341V10.3966H20.3966C21.2822 10.3966 22 11.1145 22 12C22 12.8856 21.2822 13.6034 20.3966 13.6034H13.6034V20.3966C13.6034 21.2822 12.8855 22 12 22C11.1145 22 10.3966 21.2822 10.3966 20.3966V13.6034H3.6034C2.71786 13.6034 2 12.8856 2 12C2 11.1145 2.71786 10.3966 3.6034 10.3966H10.3966V3.60341Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/label><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__content\"><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__inner\">\n<p>No. There is no legal requirement to pay an enhanced overtime rate in the UK. The only legal floor is the National Minimum Wage. However, whatever rate applies to comparable full-time workers must apply equally to part-time workers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-simple-accordion eh-simple-accordion\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"accordion-1777977693368\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__checkbox\"\/><label for=\"accordion-1777977693368\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__header\"><h3 class=\"eh-simple-accordion__title\">Does overtime count towards holiday pay for part-time workers?\u00a0<\/h3><span class=\"eh-simple-accordion__icon\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M10.3966 3.60341C10.3966 2.71788 11.1145 2 12 2C12.8855 2 13.6034 2.71788 13.6034 3.60341V10.3966H20.3966C21.2822 10.3966 22 11.1145 22 12C22 12.8856 21.2822 13.6034 20.3966 13.6034H13.6034V20.3966C13.6034 21.2822 12.8855 22 12 22C11.1145 22 10.3966 21.2822 10.3966 20.3966V13.6034H3.6034C2.71786 13.6034 2 12.8856 2 12C2 11.1145 2.71786 10.3966 3.6034 10.3966H10.3966V3.60341Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/label><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__content\"><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__inner\">\n<p>Yes, if the overtime is regular. Guaranteed, non-guaranteed and sufficiently regular voluntary overtime must all be factored into holiday pay, calculated using a 52-week reference period.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-employmentherocom2025-simple-accordion eh-simple-accordion\"><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"accordion-1777977696142\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__checkbox\"\/><label for=\"accordion-1777977696142\" class=\"eh-simple-accordion__header\"><h3 class=\"eh-simple-accordion__title\">Can part-time workers refuse overtime?\u00a0<\/h3><span class=\"eh-simple-accordion__icon\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M10.3966 3.60341C10.3966 2.71788 11.1145 2 12 2C12.8855 2 13.6034 2.71788 13.6034 3.60341V10.3966H20.3966C21.2822 10.3966 22 11.1145 22 12C22 12.8856 21.2822 13.6034 20.3966 13.6034H13.6034V20.3966C13.6034 21.2822 12.8855 22 12 22C11.1145 22 10.3966 21.2822 10.3966 20.3966V13.6034H3.6034C2.71786 13.6034 2 12.8856 2 12C2 11.1145 2.71786 10.3966 3.6034 10.3966H10.3966V3.60341Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/label><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__content\"><div class=\"eh-simple-accordion__inner\">\n<p>This depends on the contract. If overtime is voluntary, a worker can decline. If it is contractually required, refusing may be a breach of contract. Employers cannot compel workers to exceed the 48-hour weekly limit under the Working Time Regulations unless an opt-out has been signed.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\n    \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/\",\n    \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n    \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"Do part-time employees get overtime in the UK?\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"<p>There is no automatic statutory right to overtime pay in the UK. Whether a part-time worker receives overtime depends on their employment contract and company policy. However, if comparable full-time workers receive overtime pay, part-time workers must be treated no less favourably under the Part-Time Workers Regulations 2000.<br><\/p>\"\n            }\n        },\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"At what point does overtime start for a part-time worker?\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"<p>It depends on the contract. Most contracts set the threshold at the worker's contracted hours, so a worker contracted to 20 hours would start earning overtime at 21 hours. Some contracts set the threshold at the full-time equivalent hours, which is lawful but must be stated explicitly.<\/p>\"\n            }\n        },\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"Do employers have to pay time-and-a-half for overtime?\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"<p>No. There is no legal requirement to pay an enhanced overtime rate in the UK. The only legal floor is the National Minimum Wage. However, whatever rate applies to comparable full-time workers must apply equally to part-time workers.<\/p>\"\n            }\n        },\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"Does overtime count towards holiday pay for part-time workers?\\u00a0\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"<p>Yes, if the overtime is regular. Guaranteed, non-guaranteed and sufficiently regular voluntary overtime must all be factored into holiday pay, calculated using a 52-week reference period.<\/p>\"\n            }\n        },\n        {\n            \"@type\": \"Question\",\n            \"name\": \"Can part-time workers refuse overtime?\\u00a0\",\n            \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n                \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n                \"text\": \"<p>This depends on the contract. If overtime is voluntary, a worker can decline. If it is contractually required, refusing may be a breach of contract. Employers cannot compel workers to exceed the 48-hour weekly limit under the Working Time Regulations unless an opt-out has been signed.<\/p>\"\n            }\n        }\n    ]\n}<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-style-default has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-13 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-link-arrow is-style-link-arrow--3\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-btn-brand-background-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/nz\/resources\/businesses\/\">View all<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query blog-3-col-query-loop is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\"><ul class=\"columns-3 alignfull wp-block-post-template is-layout-grid wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-1 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-grid\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-52660 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorised resource-type-blog topic-business-basics\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-16 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/pay-transparency-smes\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/colleagues-collaborating-on-laptop-in-office-lounge.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"The UK&#8217;s pay transparency plans need to work for small businesses too\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/colleagues-collaborating-on-laptop-in-office-lounge.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/colleagues-collaborating-on-laptop-in-office-lounge-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/colleagues-collaborating-on-laptop-in-office-lounge-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/colleagues-collaborating-on-laptop-in-office-lounge-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/colleagues-collaborating-on-laptop-in-office-lounge-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/colleagues-collaborating-on-laptop-in-office-lounge-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-15 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-14 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/07\/David_Holland.jpg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/resources\/blog\/\" rel=\"tag\">Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/pay-transparency-smes\/\" target=\"_self\" >The UK&#8217;s pay transparency plans need to work for small businesses too<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-2\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">The UK&#8217;s pay transparency plans could force salary disclosure in every job advert across England, Wales and Scotland. Learn what&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/pay-transparency-smes\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: The UK&#8217;s pay transparency plans need to work for small businesses too<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/pay-transparency-smes\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-52535 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized resource-type-blog\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-19 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pricing\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/unnamed-1.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Employer of Record Pricing: How Much Does an EOR Cost in 2026?\u00a0\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/unnamed-1.webp 1600w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/unnamed-1-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/unnamed-1-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/unnamed-1-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/unnamed-1-1536x864.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/unnamed-1-440x248.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-18 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-17 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/07\/David_Holland.jpg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/resources\/blog\/\" rel=\"tag\">Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pricing\/\" target=\"_self\" >Employer of Record Pricing: How Much Does an EOR Cost in 2026?\u00a0<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-4\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Wondering what an EOR actually costs in 2026? Break down Employer of Record pricing models, average fees and what to&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pricing\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: Employer of Record Pricing: How Much Does an EOR Cost in 2026?\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pricing\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-52494 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-uncategorized resource-type-blog\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color has-neutral-100-border-color has-white-background-color has-background is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-22 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"border-width:1px;min-height:100%\"><figure style=\"aspect-ratio:auto; padding-bottom:0;padding-top:0;margin-bottom:0;\" class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pros-and-cons\/\" target=\"_self\"  ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-scaled.webp\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"The Pros and Cons of Using an Employer of Record (EOR)\" style=\"width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:fill;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-2048x1365.webp 2048w, https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/vecteezy_asian-small-business-owner-working-at-home-office-business_8570938-440x293.webp 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-21 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-20 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\" class=\"taxonomy-resource-type eh-resource-type wp-block-post-terms\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-post-terms-icon\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"icon-blog\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/07\/David_Holland.jpg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/resources\/blog\/\" rel=\"tag\">Blogs<\/a><\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pros-and-cons\/\" target=\"_self\" >The Pros and Cons of Using an Employer of Record (EOR)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt has-text-color has-contrast-2-color has-small-font-size wp-container-content-6\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-excerpt__excerpt\">Weighing up an EOR? Explore the key pros and cons of Employer of Record services, and find out if it&#8217;s&hellip; <\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<a style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600;\" class=\"wp-elements-9dfcbcb7662772ecb2d671e8976a6c51 wp-block-read-more has-text-color has-violet-500-color\" href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pros-and-cons\/\" target=\"_self\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">: The Pros and Cons of Using an Employer of Record (EOR)<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/blog\/employer-of-record-pros-and-cons\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"group-block-link\"><\/a>\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Part-time workers in the UK have the right to equal overtime pay. Learn the rules on pay rates, holiday pay, and contracts to stay compliant in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":430,"featured_media":50415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_visual_mode":"business","_lite_auth_enabled":false,"_lite_auth_trigger_method":"scroll","_lite_auth_scroll_percent":25,"_lite_auth_click_element_query":"","exclude_from_algolia":false,"reading_time":"10 min read","display_reading_time":false,"download_content_type":"","download_file":"","download_url":"","download_cta_label":"","homepage_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[287],"tags":[],"resource-type":[157],"topic":[],"learn_topic":[],"industry":[],"audience":[],"business-size":[],"product-tag":[],"funnel-stage":[],"region":[],"pain-point":[],"persona":[],"content_type":[],"post_features":[],"class_list":["post-50413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised","resource-type-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50413"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50540,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50413\/revisions\/50540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-type?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"learn_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/learn_topic?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"business-size","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/business-size?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"product-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product-tag?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"funnel-stage","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/funnel-stage?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"pain-point","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pain-point?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=50413"},{"taxonomy":"post_features","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_features?post=50413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}