Employment Rights Act 2025 — phased in through 2027

Compliant HR documents, grounded in the law in force today.

Employee handbooks, disciplinary and grievance procedures, GDPR policies and 16+ letters — every clause cited to the instrument behind it and stamped with the date it was grounded. And when the law moves, we re-ground it and re-issue. Built for UK SMEs, before a staff issue becomes a tribunal problem.

Grounded in the law in force · 20 JUL 2026

Free compliance check — no sign-up, runs in your browser. Cited to UK employment law. Built for UK SMEs.

16+
Document types
6
Instruments cited
25%
Tribunal uplift the ACAS Code governs
£7.99
Per month, cancel anytime
In force · 20 JUL 2026

Every document is grounded in the instruments behind it

§Employment Rights Act 1996 & 2025§Equality Act 2010§ACAS Code of Practice§HSWA 1974§UK GDPR / DPA 2018§Working Time Regulations 1998
The personnel file

Every HR document your business needs — sealed and dated

From employee handbooks to dismissal letters. Each one mapped to specific UK employment legislation and stamped with the date it was grounded, so you always know it reflects the law in force.

Handbook

Employee Handbooks

Complete, professional handbooks covering every mandatory policy — tailored to your size, industry and working arrangements.

In force · 20 JUL 2026
Policy

Disciplinary Policies

ACAS Code-compliant procedures: proper staging, the right to be accompanied, and a real appeal route. Tribunals check these first.

In force · 20 JUL 2026
Policy

Grievance Procedures

Step-by-step processes following the ACAS Code — informal resolution, formal stages and appeal rights, written plainly.

In force · 20 JUL 2026
Policy

GDPR & Data Protection

UK GDPR-compliant policies: lawful bases, data-subject rights, breach reporting and retention schedules.

In force · 20 JUL 2026
Policy

Health & Safety

Aligned to HSWA 1974 and the Management Regulations 1999 — risk-assessment frameworks, responsibilities and emergency procedures.

In force · 20 JUL 2026
Letters

Offer & Termination Letters

Offer letters, contracts, disciplinary warnings, dismissal and redundancy letters — legally precise and ready to send.

In force · 20 JUL 2026
How it works

A sealed HR document in three steps

No HR expertise needed. StaffVault knows UK employment law so you don't have to.

Step 1

Choose your document

Pick from 16+ document types — handbooks, policies, contracts or letters. Each one mapped to specific UK legislation.

Step 2

Tell us about your business

Company name, industry, headcount and a few document-specific details. We tailor every clause. Takes two minutes.

Step 3

Get your sealed document

A professional, cited document with the statute seal and the date it was grounded. Copy, print or download — regenerate when the law moves.

Why not just use a free template?

A blank template isn't a policy

ACAS gives you a blank template. Genie AI gives you a generic draft. Neither knows your business, and neither leaves a trace of which law it rests on.

ACAS template

Free

A blank Word document with square brackets to fill in yourself. Correct in principle, but you write the policy — and carry the risk if you get it wrong.

Genie AI / generic AI

Free tier

A plausible-looking draft with no citations and no date. You can’t tell which clauses reflect current law or when it was last right.

StaffVault

£7.99/mo

Filled in for your business, every clause cited to the exact statute behind it, and dated — so if the inspector or a tribunal asks, you can show your working.

Critical update

The Employment Rights Act 2025

The biggest shake-up to UK employment law in a generation — received Royal Assent in December 2025 and phased in through 2027. Your policies need to move with it.

18 Dec 2025

Royal Assent

2026

Phased regulations & consultation

20 JUL 2026

The law in force today

2027

Shorter qualifying period expected

Shorter unfair dismissal qualifying period

Expected from 2027, employees can claim unfair dismissal far earlier than the old two-year threshold. Your disciplinary procedures matter from day one.

Fire and rehire restricted

New restrictions on dismissing and re-engaging employees on worse terms. Handbook and redundancy policies must be updated.

Zero-hours contracts regulated

Workers on zero-hours contracts gain rights toward guaranteed hours. Your contracts need reviewing.

Third-party harassment liability

Employers become liable for harassment by customers and clients. Your anti-harassment policy must cover this.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

UK employers must provide a written statement of employment particulars from day one (Employment Rights Act 1996 s.1). If you have 5+ employees, you need a written health and safety policy (HSWA 1974 s.2(3)). Disciplinary and grievance procedures should follow the ACAS Code of Practice — tribunals can adjust awards by up to 25% if you don't. GDPR/data-protection, equal-opportunities and anti-harassment policies are effectively mandatory for any responsible employer.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces the biggest reforms to UK employment law in decades. Key changes include a shorter unfair dismissal qualifying period (expected from 2027, down from two years), restrictions on fire and rehire, zero-hours contract regulation, third-party harassment liability, and strengthened protections for pregnant workers. Most UK employers will need to update their disciplinary procedures, contracts and handbook policies as the reforms are phased in.

StaffVault documents are generated using comprehensive UK employment law knowledge covering the Employment Rights Act 1996 & 2025, Equality Act 2010, the ACAS Code of Practice, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, UK GDPR, the Working Time Regulations and more. Every document cites the instruments behind it. StaffVault is not a substitute for legal advice — for complex situations or tribunal representation, consult an employment solicitor.

ACAS gives you a blank template with brackets to fill in yourself. Genie AI and other free AI tools give you a generic draft with no citations and no date — you can't tell which clauses reflect current law or when it was last right. StaffVault fills the document in for your specific business — your industry, headcount and working arrangements — cites the exact statute behind every clause, and stamps the date it was grounded, so if an inspector or a tribunal asks, you can show your working. And it's re-issued whenever the law changes.

Yes. Our disciplinary policies and grievance procedures follow the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. This matters because tribunals can increase awards by up to 25% where an employer unreasonably fails to follow the ACAS Code. We also generate individual disciplinary letters (warnings, invitations to hearings) and dismissal letters.

£7.99/month — £95.88 a year, less than one HR-consultant handbook (£200–£600) or one solicitor letter (£150–£300) — gives unlimited access to all 16+ document types: handbooks, policies, contracts and letters. The reason it's a subscription rather than a one-off: employment law is changing through 2027, and we re-ground and re-issue your documents when it does. Generate as many as you need, no per-document charges. Cancel anytime.

Pricing

One plan. Kept current for you.

Employment law is changing — the Employment Rights Act 2025 is being phased in through 2027. A one-off template is out of date the moment the law moves. StaffVault re-grounds every document to the law in force today, and re-issues it when the law changes — which is the whole point of a subscription.

What the same document costs elsewhere

HR consultant

A bespoke handbook, one industry, one company

£200–£600

per handbook

Employment solicitor

A single disciplinary or dismissal letter, drafted

£150–£300

per letter

ACAS / Genie AI

Free — but blank, generic, uncited and undated

£0

you do the work

StaffVault

Tailored to your business, statute-cited, dated — unlimited

£7.99

per month, cancel anytime

That's £95.88 a year for unlimited documents — less than one solicitor letter, and less than a single HR-consultant handbook that would be out of date within the year anyway.

£7.99/month

Less than a single solicitor letter — for unlimited documents, every one cited and dated, and re-issued when the law moves. Free compliance check before you subscribe.

Cited & datedACAS Code compliantERA 2025 aware
  • Unlimited HR policies & handbooks
  • 16+ document types
  • Every clause cited to the instrument
  • The statute seal + grounding date on each document
  • Offer letters, contracts & termination letters
  • Copy, print, or download
  • Regenerate when laws change
  • Cancel anytime
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Professional handbooks, disciplinary procedures and employment letters — cited to UK employment law and sealed with the date they were grounded. Stop risking tribunal claims with no documentation.

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