Legally compliant employment contracts and staff handbooks, drafted and reviewed by your named accountant.
Every UK employee has the legal right to a written statement of their main terms from day one, and getting it wrong exposes you to tribunal claims and penalties. Our employment contract services draft clear, current agreements that protect your business, satisfy your statutory duties, and dovetail with your payroll, pension and tax position. Each contract is prepared by a qualified, named accountant who knows how the words on the page affect what you actually pay.
As part of our employment agreement services, we produce the section 1 written statement of employment particulars that the law requires you to give every employee and worker on or before their first day. This covers job title, pay, hours, holiday, place of work, notice periods and more, so you meet your statutory obligation rather than relying on a verbal understanding that won't survive a dispute.
We set out remuneration in line with the National Minimum and Living Wage rates that took effect on 1 April 2026, working hours within the Working Time Regulations, and holiday entitlement of at least 5.6 weeks. We check that contractual pay structures, salary sacrifice and deductions keep every worker above their applicable hourly floor.
Your contract is written to align with your auto-enrolment duties, including the minimum 8% total contribution on qualifying earnings (of which at least 3% comes from you as the employer). We make sure pension wording, salary sacrifice arrangements and assessment of eligible jobholders are consistent and correctly documented.
For senior, client-facing or technical roles we draft enforceable confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-compete clauses that are reasonable in scope and duration. Over-broad restrictions are routinely struck down, so we tailor them to protect genuine business interests without being unenforceable.
We define probationary periods, notice on each side, and clear grounds and procedures for ending employment, including payment in lieu of notice and garden leave where appropriate. Well-drafted termination clauses are your first line of defence against unfair and wrongful dismissal claims.
Where you engage self-employed contractors, sole traders or someone working through a personal service company, we draft agreements that reflect the genuine working relationship and address employment status, the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) where it applies, and off-payroll (IR35) risk. They handle their own Self Assessment, but getting status wrong can leave you liable for unpaid PAYE, National Insurance and penalties, so the paperwork and the reality must match.
Around the core contract we provide complete employment offer and contract services: offer letters, a staff handbook, disciplinary and grievance and data protection policies, settlement agreements, consultancy agreements, NDAs, and zero-hours, fixed-term and secondment contracts. One joined-up set drafted to current law, not a drawer of mismatched templates.
Our employment services contract work is prepared and reviewed by a qualified, named accountant who understands how each clause flows through to payroll, pensions and tax, so the contract and your numbers always agree.
Our employee contract services sit within clear fixed-fee plans at £129, £250 or £499 a month with no surprise hourly bills. You know the cost before we start, and engagements are rolling monthly with no long lock-in.
We reply to every query within 72 hours, so when you need a contract ready for a new starter's first day you are not left waiting and risking a missed statutory deadline.
We work directly in Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent and Sage, so pay rates, pension contributions and starter details in your contracts feed straight through to payroll without rekeying or errors.
Compliant, current documentation lowers your exposure to tribunal claims and HMRC penalties, and every engagement carries our 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied.
Not everyone who works for you is an employee, and the paperwork is different for each. The choice between a contract for services vs contract of employment is one of the most common and costliest things we see employers get wrong.
A contract of service is for an employee. It gives them rights like holiday pay, sick pay and notice, and you must give them a written statement of their main terms on or before their first day. This has been the law since April 2020. A contract for services is for someone who is genuinely self-employed, such as a freelancer or contractor. They invoice you, manage their own tax, and do not get employee rights.
The label you choose does not decide the status. HMRC and an employment tribunal look at how the relationship works in practice. They weigh three things: who has control over the work, whether the person must do it themselves or can send a substitute (personal service), and whether you are both obliged to offer and accept work (mutuality of obligation).
A personal service company, sole trader invoice or agency worker label does not change that test. If you treat a contractor like an employee, you can face backdated tax under IR35, penalties and a tribunal claim. We check the real working arrangement first, using HMRC's CEST tool and Acas guidance where it helps, then our employee contract services draft the right agreement so your status is clear and defensible.
As a rule of thumb, a contract of employment makes someone your employee, with the rights and PAYE that follow. A self-employment contract for services suits a genuine contractor who runs their own business and works for several clients.
See also: CIS or PAYE for subcontractorsHow to register for PAYE as an employer
Not every rule in an employment relationship sits on the page. The law splits the terms into two kinds, and both bind you.
Express terms are the ones you write down, such as pay, hours and holiday. Implied terms are added automatically by law and custom, like the duty of mutual trust and confidence between you and your staff, and a basic duty of care. A staff handbook and clear policies sit alongside the contract and fill in the day-to-day detail.
Our employee contract services set the express terms out clearly, so there is less room for argument later. We follow Acas and CIPD good practice, so the written terms and the implied duties work together rather than against each other.
See also: How we run your payrollWorkplace pension and auto-enrolment
A free template feels like the easy option, and for a simple, short-term role it can be a fair starting point. The problem is that a generic template does not know your business, and the gaps only show when something goes wrong.
Templates date quickly when the law changes, and they rarely hold up when you need to enforce a restrictive covenant, protect confidential information, or part ways with someone fairly. A weak clause is what turns a normal exit into a tribunal claim.
You need a bespoke agreement when you are hiring your first employee or growing the team, making a senior or director-level hire, relying on restrictive covenants, confidentiality or intellectual property protection, engaging contractors where IR35 and status are a risk, or working from contracts that are over a year old or pre-date recent law changes. Our employment services contract work is built around how your business actually runs, so it protects you when it counts, not just on day one.
See also: Employer National Insurance in 2026/27
A director is often an office holder rather than an employee, and a standard staff contract rarely fits a board-level role. Directors and senior executives need a service agreement: a tailored contract that sets out their duties, pay and benefits, notice periods, and what happens to shares, bonuses and clients if they leave.
This matters most when a senior person departs. Well-drafted restrictive covenants and confidentiality terms are what stop a departing director taking your clients, your team or your trade secrets with them. Our employment contract services include director and senior executive service agreements that protect the business and reflect the person’s real responsibilities.
If the business is later sold or transferred, TUPE rules can move employees across on their existing terms, so the contracts you hold now still matter then. Where ownership and shares are involved, a shareholders agreement should sit alongside the service agreement.
See also: Founders agreement service
Understanding your business needs.
Crafting your custom accounting strategy.
Quick and easy integration.
Consistent monitoring and reporting.
Since April 2020 every worker - employees and most contractors - must receive a written Section 1 statement on or before their first day. It has to cover pay, hours, holiday, place of work, notice, sick pay, training, and probation. Missing it exposes you to tribunal awards of two to four weeks' pay per worker on top of any underlying claim. We draft contracts and statements that satisfy Section 1 in a single document.
UK courts only enforce restrictive covenants that protect a legitimate business interest and go no further than reasonably necessary. Blanket 12-month non-competes routinely fail; tightly scoped non-solicitation of clients you actually serviced, for 6 months, almost always holds. We draft covenants that survive scrutiny rather than collapse the moment they are tested.
Yes. Standard office contracts do not address right-to-work for overseas remote staff, expenses for home workers, equipment ownership, data protection and monitoring at home (in line with UK GDPR and ICO guidance), working hours across time zones, or the new right to request flexible working from day one. Our remote and hybrid templates handle all of these so you are not relying on goodwill when something goes wrong.
A standard employment contract drafted from your role brief is delivered within 48 hours and is covered inside the £250 Premium Plus monthly plan at no extra cost. Bespoke senior or director-level contracts with bonus, share, and bespoke restrictive covenants take a week and are quoted per matter.
UK employment law moves every April and frequently mid-year. We track changes from the Employment Rights Act 2025, the new Fair Work Agency, working time updates, family leave reforms, and tribunal case law, and reissue refreshed templates to active clients automatically - you do not have to ask. Existing contracts only need updating where the change is retrospective, which we flag individually.
Usually, yes. A contract for services is the agreement you use with someone who is genuinely self-employed, such as a freelancer or contractor, rather than an employee. But the contract alone does not settle the question. HMRC looks at how the work is actually done, so the agreement and the day-to-day arrangement need to match to avoid a status or IR35 challenge.
At a minimum, an employee's written statement must cover pay, hours, holiday, place of work, notice and job title, and it is due on or before their first day. A good contract also adds probation, sick pay, pension, confidentiality and, where needed, restrictive covenants. A contract for services instead sets out the project, the fees, who controls the work, and confirms that the contractor handles their own tax. We make sure the right terms are in and the wrong ones are left out.
Yes, a properly drafted service agreement is a binding contract. The catch is in the drafting. Terms like restrictive covenants are only enforceable if they go no further than is reasonable to protect the business, so an overly broad clause can be struck out. This is why the wording matters more than simply having a document.
Employees who qualify are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay, and the contract should also set out holiday, family leave, and the newer neonatal care leave and pay. Spelling these out up front, rather than leaving them to assumption, avoids disputes and missed entitlements later.
On a sale or transfer, TUPE usually moves employees across on their existing contracts, so the terms you set now carry over to the new owner. If you ever need to make redundancies, clear notice and redundancy-pay terms in the contract make the process fairer and far safer. We keep both in mind when we draft.
I’ve had an excellent experience working with Zmartly. Harvey and the team are professional, responsive, and genuinely supportive. They explain things clearly, stay on top of deadlines, and always look for practical ways to save tax and improve…
I’ve used several accountants in the past, but hands down there is no one better than Harvey at Zmartly. He really understands exactly what advice you’re looking for and explains everything clearly and professionally. Nothing ever feels rushed…
I started working with Zmartly Accountants after having serious issues with my previous accounting firm. They were missing deadlines, incorrectly calculating VAT, constantly late, and extremely difficult and frustrating to communicate with. Switching to Zmartly was a huge…
I've had a terrible experience with multiple accountants. Zmartly have been incredible. If you do ecommerce / Amazon FBA you definitely need to go with someone who understands the complexities with it. Thanks to Harvey and his amazing…
Its not easy to find accountants who understand ecommerce especially Amazon and these guys know Amazon very well. Always helps us with advice if they spot something we incorrectly. Super easy to speak with someone if you have…
I’ve had an excellent experience working with Zmartly. Harvey and the team are professional, responsive, and genuinely supportive. They explain things clearly, stay on top of deadlines, and always look for practical ways to save tax and improve…
I’ve used several accountants in the past, but hands down there is no one better than Harvey at Zmartly. He really understands exactly what advice you’re looking for and explains everything clearly and professionally. Nothing ever feels rushed…
I started working with Zmartly Accountants after having serious issues with my previous accounting firm. They were missing deadlines, incorrectly calculating VAT, constantly late, and extremely difficult and frustrating to communicate with. Switching to Zmartly was a huge…
I've had a terrible experience with multiple accountants. Zmartly have been incredible. If you do ecommerce / Amazon FBA you definitely need to go with someone who understands the complexities with it. Thanks to Harvey and his amazing…
Its not easy to find accountants who understand ecommerce especially Amazon and these guys know Amazon very well. Always helps us with advice if they spot something we incorrectly. Super easy to speak with someone if you have…
Thirty minutes with a qualified accountant. Most owners uncover £1,000-£3,000 in annual savings on the first call. If we are not the right fit, you walk away with a free tax review on the house.
