Overview
- HMRC’s Check Your Pay campaign targets seasonal and short‑term workers in shops, hotels, Christmas markets, pubs and restaurants, garden centres and warehouses.
- Enforcement in 2024–25 uncovered £5.8 million in arrears owed to 25,200 workers, with around 750 penalties totalling £4.2 million issued to non‑compliant employers.
- Common breaches include deductions for uniforms or tools and unpaid working time such as travel between sites, mandatory training, or opening and closing duties.
- Workers can report suspected underpayment to HMRC online in about five minutes, confidentially and even after leaving a job, or call the Acas Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0300 123 1100.
- Employers must repay arrears and can face penalties of up to 200% and public naming, and the current hourly rates are £12.21 (21+), £10.00 (18–20) and £7.55 (under 18 and apprentices), with new rates taking effect on 1 April 2026.