Guides › Work and Employment › Payslips: Your Rights and What Must Be on Them
Payslips: Your Rights and What Must Be on Them
Employees and workers must get a payslip on or before payday, on paper or electronically. It must show your pay before and after deductions, the deductions that change each time (like tax and National Insurance) and, if your pay varies with the time you work, the number of hours you worked.
At A Glance
Your Rights
What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.
What Your Payslip Must Show
Must Show
Earnings before and after deductions; the amount of each deduction that changes each pay period, such as tax and National Insurance; and the hours you worked if your pay varies with time worked. source
Fixed Deductions
Fixed deductions, such as a season ticket loan, can be explained on the payslip or in a separate written statement given before your first payslip and updated every year. source
Who Gets One
Employees and workers. Employers do not have to give payslips to contractors or freelancers. source
Time Limits to Know
Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.
- PaydayLatest date for your payslipOn paper or electronically
Steps to Take
Step 1 of 4
Ask your employer in writing for your missing payslips.
Step 2 of 4
Check your hours, rate and deductions against your own records.
Step 3 of 4
Raise a grievance if they still do not provide them.
Step 4 of 4
Get advice from Acas about a tribunal claim.
(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)
Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right
Your options, in order, and when each one applies.
Acas Helpline
Free and confidential. 0300 123 1100, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Citizens Advice or Your Trade Union
Free help to check your case and work out what you are owed.
Good to Know
Small things that make your complaint stronger.
A missing payslip often hides minimum wage or holiday pay problems. Keep your own record of hours.
Rules here are for England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own employment law, the Labour Relations Agency and industrial tribunals; see nidirect.
Want Help?
If you would like one of our team to look at your problem, our initial case review is free. We cannot guarantee any outcome and we do not give legal advice.
Lead reviewer
Luke Marley
Founder and Lead Reviewer
Luke founded CPUK in 2026 after seeing how hard it is for ordinary people to get problems with companies put right. He oversees our guides and checks them against official sources.
Research by Katie Burt, Co-founder and Operations Lead (17 years in the care sector, including managing services for vulnerable adults), and the CPUK Research Team. Researched with AI-assisted research tools, then checked and corrected by our team.
Last checked: 15 October 2026. We are not paid by the companies we write about. Adverts never affect our guidance. Read our editorial policy.
Sources and official links
- gov.uk/payslips Checked 15 October 2026
- acas.org.uk/contact Checked 8 October 2026