Employer of Record (EOR) in the UK

Hire in the UK in days, with no entity and without taking on PAYE, National Insurance and pension auto-enrolment yourself. We place you with the right vetted EOR partner, at pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side for the life of the relationship.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Operational in days

What an Employer of Record does for you in the UK

An Employer of Record is a company that legally employs your UK staff on your behalf. You choose the person and direct their work day to day. The EOR is the legal employer on paper, which is what lets you build a team in the UK without forming your own company.

In practice the EOR partner takes on everything that needs a UK legal entity and local expertise: a compliant employment contract under the Employment Rights Act, monthly payroll with income tax and National Insurance withheld through PAYE, employer National Insurance, pension auto-enrolment and all filings to HMRC, statutory benefits and leave, and compliant onboarding and lawful exits. You get a working team in days. The EOR carries the legal and compliance weight; you carry the commercial relationship. The only question worth spending time on is which partner is genuinely strong in the UK, and that is the question we answer for you.

01

Legal Employer, On Paper

A compliant UK employment contract under the Employment Rights Act, with all statutory terms correct from day one.

02

Compliant From Day One

Monthly payroll, income tax and National Insurance withheld through PAYE, employer National Insurance and pension auto-enrolment, and all filings to HMRC.

03

No Entity Required

Statutory benefits, 5.6 weeks’ paid leave, notice and redundancy pay under the Employment Rights Act, and lawful onboarding and exits. You get a working team in days; the EOR carries the legal weight.

How your UK hire comes together

From first call to a compliant UK hire at work, usually in days.

01 — Scope & quote

We map the role, salary, and start date, and come back with a clear all-in monthly cost. No guesswork, no hidden extras.

02 — Compliant contract

Your employment contract is drafted to UK standards by the partner, and we sanity-check the terms and pricing before you sign. Compliant from day one.

03 — Onboard in days

A correct UK contract is issued under the Employment Rights Act, with all statutory terms from day one. Your hire can start in days.

04 — Payroll & compliance run

Income tax and National Insurance calculated and withheld through PAYE, payslips issued, filings made to HMRC. You direct the work; the compliance just runs.

What EOR in the UK costs

Two parts: the statutory cost of employing someone, and the EOR partner fee. The UK is moderate on the first, with employer National Insurance at 15% plus pension auto-enrolment, which is exactly why getting the numbers right up front matters. We make both transparent before you commit.

Employer social security

Employer National Insurance is 15% on earnings above GBP 5,000 a year, plus the minimum 3% pension auto-enrolment contribution. An Employment Allowance offsets some of the NI for eligible employers.

Minimum wage (2026)

National Living Wage is GBP 12.71 an hour for 21 and over from April 2026, with lower bands for under-21s and apprentices. We apply the correct rate.

Income tax (employee)

Progressive at 0%, 20%, 40% and 45% across the 2026/27 bands, withheld through PAYE. Borne by the employee, not added to your cost.

EOR partner fee

A transparent per-employee monthly fee. We benchmark across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate for you at renewal.

Why run it through Bradford Jacobs

We know which EOR partners are genuinely strong in the UK, by sector and by complexity. We place you with the right one, at pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side for the life of the relationship.

Independent, not a single provider

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

Pricing you can’t get direct

UK employer National Insurance is fixed by HMRC, not negotiable by any provider, and the same goes for the Apprenticeship Levy on larger payrolls. What we do benchmark is the partner’s own fee, across our vetted network, typically 15 to 25% below going direct, and renegotiate it for you at renewal.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

Straight to the top when it matters

When something needs resolving, and in global employment it sometimes does, you come to us. We escalate directly, past the helpdesk, to people who can actually move it.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

Two decades across Europe

Two decades placing and managing EOR arrangements across Europe, with the knowledge of the Employment Rights Act, PAYE and National Insurance, and pension auto-enrolment that keeps you compliant.

  • EOR specialists
  • ERA & National Insurance
  • Risk removed

Built for conversion to your own entity

Most companies use EOR for 12 to 24 months, then move to their own UK entity (a limited company). We plan that crossover and manage the transition when the economics justify it.

  • EOR to entity path
  • Transition managed
  • Crossover planning

Why the UK rewards getting the structure right

Two things define hiring in the UK: the speed an EOR gives you, and the statutory detail (PAYE, auto-enrolment, unfair-dismissal rights) that makes the right partner matter. The EOR gives you the first; we handle the second.

Working time, leave & contracts

The UK combines a large, flexible labour market with real statutory structure. Employer National Insurance is 15% above the threshold, pension auto-enrolment adds a minimum 3%, employees gain unfair-dismissal rights after two years, and PAYE reporting is real-time to HMRC. None of it is a barrier when handled correctly, but it is detailed, which is why the right EOR partner, and our help choosing it, matters.

Operational in days, not weeks

Setting up your own UK entity is quick to register but you cannot run payroll until you are set up with HMRC for PAYE. An EOR removes that wait entirely: a compliant Employment Rights Act contract is issued and your hire starts in days. You prove the market first, then form an entity later only if the headcount justifies it. This is the real value of EOR in the UK: speed into the market, with the compliance carried by an expert.

What your UK EOR takes care of

One transparent monthly fee per employee covers all of this. No hidden extras.

Compliant UK contract

A compliant UK employment contract under the Employment Rights Act, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & PAYE

Monthly payroll run, with income tax and National Insurance calculated, withheld, and filed to HMRC correctly each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: 5.6 weeks’ leave, statutory sick pay, pension auto-enrolment, parental leave, notice and lawful exits.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Your questions answered

Straight answers on how Employer of Record works in the UK.

Is my hire employed by Bradford Jacobs or by me?

Legally, your hire is employed by the UK EOR partner we place you with, which is what keeps you compliant without an entity. Day to day they work for you: you set the work, the goals, the relationship. You get the team; the partner carries the legal employer obligations.

Usually within days once the role and salary are agreed, with a compliant Employment Rights Act contract from day one. Compare that to the time setting up your own UK entity and registering with HMRC for PAYE takes, during which you cannot legally run payroll.

Employer National Insurance is 15% on earnings above the threshold, plus the minimum 3% pension contribution; the smaller 8% employee NI rate is withheld from their own pay between GBP 242 and GBP 967 a week, 2% above that. Add the transparent EOR partner fee and you have your all-in cost, which we confirm before you commit.

Yes, when done properly. The EOR is a real UK legal employer meeting all Employment Rights Act, National Insurance, and HMRC obligations. The risk is using an under-resourced partner, which is exactly why we place you with vetted partners and stay on your side.

The compliant contract, monthly payroll (income tax and National Insurance through PAYE), employer contributions, pension auto-enrolment, statutory benefits and leave administration, and ongoing HR compliance. We give you one all-in monthly figure up front, with no hidden extras.

Yes, and most companies do once the headcount and permanence justify it. We manage the transition from EOR to your own UK entity (a limited company), and can support the entity formation itself. Most use EOR for 12 to 24 months first.

Ready to hire in the UK?

Tell us the role and we will come back with a compliant, all-in monthly cost and the right partner, usually within a day. No entity, no lock-in, no pitch, just the fastest compliant way to get your person working in the UK.

Tax and labour data verified June 2026 (HMRC, ACAS, OECD). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your hire.