UK household employer guide

Employment contracts for domestic staff.

If you directly employ a nanny, housekeeper or other domestic professional, put the working arrangement in writing from the start. UK law requires a written statement of employment particulars, and a clear contract helps the household and employee understand duties, pay, hours, notice and how changes will be handled.

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Signing a domestic staff employment contract at a kitchen table — This page explains the current statutory written-statement requirements. It is educational guidance, not a contract-drafting or legal-advice service.

Published by Filipino Domestic Services Household-employer guidance Checked against GOV.UK and Acas: August 2026

Quick answer

What does a household employer legally need to put in writing?

GOV.UK says an employer must give employees and workers a written statement of employment particulars when they start work. The principal statement is due on the first day; some wider information can follow within two months.

The written statement is not the whole employment contract. Contract terms can also come from an offer letter, other written documents, verbal agreements, terms required by law and implied terms. For a household employer, the safest practical approach is to make the important agreed terms clear in writing before the arrangement becomes routine.

Day onePrincipal statement

Main terms such as parties, role, pay, hours, holiday, workplace and probation details.

Day oneOther required information

Sick pay and procedures, other paid leave and notice information must also be provided.

Within 2 monthsWider statement

Pensions, collective agreements, non-compulsory training and disciplinary or grievance procedures.

Within 1 monthChanges

If main written terms change, the employee or worker must be told in writing within one month.

A written statement and an employment contract are related, but not identical.

Acas explains that the written statement summarises the main terms of employment. The legal contract is broader and can include written, verbally agreed, implied and statutory terms.

This distinction matters in a private household because everyday working practices can become important. If duties, start and finish times, travel expectations or accommodation arrangements are left vague, the household and employee can end up relying on different assumptions.

Written statement The statutory record of specified employment particulars. Employment contract The wider legal agreement between employer and employee or worker.

Principal statement

The main terms to record from the start.

GOV.UK and Acas set out the particulars that belong in the principal statement. This page groups them for household employers without supplying clause wording.

Employer and worker detailsNames, employer address, start date, job title or a clear description of the work, and continuous-employment date where relevant.

Place of workThe household address or addresses where the person normally works, plus any requirement to work in different places or relocate.

PayThe agreed gross pay, how often it is paid and when it is paid. Keep salary separate from employer PAYE, National Insurance, pension and agency costs.

Hours and daysNormal hours and working days, how they may vary, and whether Sunday, night or overtime work can be required.

HolidayHoliday entitlement and whether public holidays are included. Detailed holiday calculations belong in the dedicated holiday guidance.

DurationWhether the role is permanent, temporary or fixed-term, and the expected end date where the arrangement is fixed-term.

ProbationIf there is a probation period, record its length and conditions. Acas notes that there is no legal requirement to use probation.

Benefits and trainingAny contractual benefits and compulsory training, including whether the employer pays for that training.

Work abroadIf the employee will work outside the UK for more than one month, additional information about duration, currency, extra pay or benefits and return terms is required.

Household preparing written employment terms before a domestic staff placement starts

Domestic staff detail

Translate the household brief into employment terms.

A job title on its own is not enough. The written arrangement should reflect what the person is actually expected to do and when.

DutiesState the recurring childcare, housekeeping, cooking, laundry, driving, travel or other agreed responsibilities at a useful level of detail.

Working patternRecord normal start and finish times, days, breaks, any agreed flexibility and how additional hours are authorised.

Live-in arrangementsIf accommodation is part of the job, record the practical arrangement and keep working time distinct from private or off-duty time. Detailed live-in wording belongs in the clause-by-clause checklist and template guidance, where examples are kept separate from professionally reviewed legal clauses.

Privacy and confidentialityHigh-discretion households may need appropriate confidentiality terms, but wording should be legally reviewed and must not attempt to override statutory rights or lawful disclosures.

Driving and travelWhere the role includes school runs, family travel or more than one residence, define the requirement rather than assuming it follows from the job title.

Some required information can follow within two months.

The wider written statement covers pension arrangements, collective agreements, non-compulsory training and disciplinary and grievance procedures. Where another accessible document contains the detail, the statement should make clear what that document is and where it can be found.

Do not wait two months for the core working arrangement.

Pay, hours, workplace, holiday and the other principal-statement particulars belong in the day-one documentation. The wider-statement timetable does not justify leaving basic household expectations unresolved.

Probation is optional; notice terms still need care.

Acas states that there is no legal requirement to have a probation period. If a household uses one, the written statement must state its length and conditions. A probation period is part of employment after the person starts; it is not the same thing as an agency trial or pre-employment assessment.

Notice information must be supplied on day one. Contractual notice cannot remove any longer statutory minimum that applies. The exact notice position depends on status, service and the reason employment ends.

After the start date

Do not quietly let the job become a different job.

GOV.UK says that once changes to written terms are agreed, the employer must tell the employee or worker in writing within one month. For domestic staff, that makes role creep a contract-management issue as well as a workload issue.

If childcare becomes regular in a housekeeping role, hours expand, a live-out role becomes live-in, or travel becomes a recurring requirement, record the agreed change rather than relying on an informal assumption.

How Filipino Domestic Services treats the contract stage.

For a direct placement, Filipino Domestic Services introduces candidates and the household decides whom to employ. The current client terms place responsibility for the resulting employment or engagement arrangement, wages and relevant deductions with the client.

That is why the staffing brief should be defined before introductions are treated as a finished hiring decision. Duties, hours, working arrangement, location and pay basis need to be clear enough for the household and candidate to discuss the actual job.

How the matching process worksSee where briefing, introductions and the household decision sit in the process. Right to work checksKeep immigration permission checks separate from the employment contract. PAYE and nanny taxUnderstand the payroll obligations that can follow a direct hire.

Use an official starting point rather than a generic internet contract.

Acas publishes free written-statement templates for employees and workers. They are a better starting point for the statutory particulars than copying an unverified household contract from the web.

Filipino Domestic Services does not publish a downloadable employment-contract template on this page. The topical-map compliance rule requires professional review before any clause-level template is offered.

Acas employee written-statement templateOfficial free template for someone with employee status. Acas required particularsCurrent checklist of what must be included and when. GOV.UK written statement guidanceGovernment summary of principal and wider statement requirements.

Before the employee starts, check these six things.

Define the real role.Use the actual recurring duties, not only a broad title such as nanny or housekeeper.
Agree gross pay and working pattern.Record pay frequency, normal hours and how variation or additional hours are handled.
Complete the right-to-work check.The prescribed employer check is separate from the contract document.
Prepare the day-one written particulars.Include the statutory principal-statement terms and other day-one information.
Identify any specialist wording.Live-in accommodation, confidentiality, significant travel or unusual duties may justify qualified review.
Keep a signed, accessible record.Make sure both sides have the agreed documentation and update material changes in writing.

Questions

Employment contract questions from household employers.

Does a nanny or housekeeper need a written employment contract?

Employees and workers must receive a written statement of employment particulars. That statement is not identical to the wider legal employment contract, but putting the important agreed terms in writing reduces ambiguity and helps both sides understand the arrangement.

When must I give the written statement?

The principal statement is due on or before the first day of work. Some wider information can be supplied in instalments, but no later than two months after employment starts.

What should I put in a domestic staff contract?

At minimum, make sure the statutory written particulars are covered. For domestic staff, it is also sensible to make duties, normal hours, location, live-in or live-out arrangements, driving or travel expectations and any properly reviewed confidentiality requirements clear.

Is a probation period compulsory?

No. Acas says there is no legal requirement to use a probation period. If you do use one, its length and conditions must be recorded in the principal statement.

Can I change a nanny or housekeeper's duties later?

Employment terms should not simply be changed by assumption. Where changes are agreed, changes to the written statement must be communicated in writing within one month. Significant changes can require a proper contract-change process.

Does Filipino Domestic Services provide a legal contract template?

No downloadable legal contract template is provided on this page. Acas offers official written-statement templates, and households should obtain qualified advice where bespoke clause wording or legal review is needed.

Start with the job you actually want someone to do.

A useful contract follows a clear household brief. Tell Filipino Domestic Services the role, duties, postcode, hours, working arrangement and intended start date so introductions begin with the right job definition.

Start a staffing enquiry Changing hours or duties later