Employment contract (written statement of particulars) template
An employment contract sets out the main terms of a job in writing, and UK employers must give every employee a written statement of these particulars by their first day. It covers the parties, start date, job title, pay, hours, place of work, holiday, sick pay, notice, pension and the grievance and disciplinary procedures. It is sent to every new starter, full-time or part-time, so the same wording is reused with different details each time.
Made by DocuWeave. Use at your own discretion.
Probation of more than six months, and irregular hours, need different wording.
What changes each time
19 values. Everything else is your wording, kept exactly.
The parties and the job
- Employee name
- Employer name
- Job title
- Employment start date
- Appointment type
Pay and hours
- Pay
- Pay frequency
- Working days and hours
- Part-time (pay and holiday pro rata)
- Lunch break
Place of work
- Normal place of work
- Other places of work
Leave, benefits and sick pay
- Holiday entitlement
- Other benefits
- Sick pay
- Who to report absence to
Probation and notice
- Probation period
- Notice during probation
- Notice after probation
The rules it usually needs
Written in plain English when the template is set up.
- One of several wordings
“Probation: either no probation period, or a probation period with its length and terms.”
The salary approval email said six months' probation, so the probation wording was used, with different notice during and after it.
- One of several wordings
“Sick pay: either Statutory Sick Pay only, or company sick pay.”
Company sick pay was used: full pay for up to four weeks in any rolling 12 months, then Statutory Sick Pay.
- Only when…
“Say that pay and holiday are pro rata only when the role is part-time.”
The new-starter form said part-time, so the pro rata sentence appears after the working hours.
- The AI decides from the paperwork
“Include the working abroad section only when the employee may be required to work outside the UK.”
The new-starter form said travel outside the UK was not required, so the section was left out, with that reason shown.
- The AI decides from the paperwork
“Include the variable hours section only when the employee's hours or days of work can change.”
The paperwork gave a fixed Monday to Wednesday pattern, so it was left out.
- One of several wordings
“Appointment: permanent, temporary or fixed term.”
Permanent, from the new-starter form.
Questions people ask
Is a written statement of particulars the same as an employment contract?
Not quite. The contract is the whole agreement between employer and employee, which can be partly verbal or implied. The written statement records its main terms, and employers must give one. Many employers use the written statement as the contract itself.
When must an employee receive a written statement?
Employees and workers must get the main written statement on or before their first day. Some details, such as pensions, collective agreements and some training, can follow within two months of the start date.
Do part-time employees need a different contract?
They need the same particulars. The usual difference is that pay and holiday are pro rata to the full-time equivalent, which this template says only when the role is part-time.
Does the contract have to include a probation period?
No. Probation is optional. If there is one, the statement should give its length and terms, and many employers set a shorter notice period during it.
Can I use my own employment contract instead of this one?
Yes. Upload your own Word or PDF contract and DocuWeave turns it into a template in your wording, with your own rules for the parts that change.
Use this template
It opens in DocuWeave as a template you can check, change and publish. Nothing is used until you do.