Employ someone: step by step
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-21)

Employ someone: agree a contract, right to work checks, DBS checks, workplace pensions, set up PAYE, tell HMRC

Check this process is right for you

Follow these steps if you’re taking on someone with the employment status of ‘employee’.

Check who counts as an employee (/employment-status/employee)

There are other steps you may need to take first if you have not employed someone before.

Get ready to employ someone for the first time (/get-ready-to-employ-someone)

The rules are different if you want to take on someone with another type of employment status, such as agency staff, freelancers, consultants and contractors.

Check your responsibilities when you take on someone with a different employment status and contract type (/contract-types-and-employer-responsibilities)

Recruit someone

You need to advertise the role and interview candidates. You can use a recruitment agency to do this or do it yourself.

Find out about recruiting someone yourself on Acas (https://www.acas.org.uk/hiring-someone)

As an employer you must make sure you recruit employees fairly.

Avoid discrimination during recruitment (/employer-preventing-discrimination/recruitment) Make your application process accessible for employees with disabilities or health conditions (/recruitment-disabled-people)

Check they have the right to work in the UK

Find out how to check an applicant’s right to work (/check-job-applicant-right-to-work)

Find out which DBS check is right for your employee

You may need to check if someone has a criminal record, for example, if they’ll be working in healthcare or with children. This is known as a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Find out which DBS check is right for your employee (/find-out-dbs-check) How to do a DBS check (/dbs-check-applicant-criminal-record)

Check if they need to be put into a workplace pension

If you’re employing someone for the first time, use The Pensions Regulator’s tool to find out what you need to do (https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/new-employers)

If you already employ people, check your ongoing duties on The Pensions Regulator website (https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/employers/new-employers/im-an-employer-who-has-to-provide-a-pension/declare-your-compliance/ongoing-duties-for-employers)

Agree a contract and salary

When someone accepts a job offer they have a contract with you as their employer.

Check what the National Minimum Wage is for different ages (/national-minimum-wage-rates) Check what the National Minimum Wage is for different types of work (/minimum-wage-different-types-work) Check what to include in a contract (/employment-contracts-and-conditions/contract-terms) Agree a written statement of employment particulars (/employment-contracts-and-conditions/written-statement-of-employment-particulars)

Tell HMRC about your new employee

You must tell HMRC about your new employee on or before their first pay day.

Tell HMRC about a new employee (/new-employee) Get their personal details and P45 to work out their tax code (/new-employee/employee-information) If you do not have their P45, use HMRC’s ‘starter checklist’ (/new-employee/late-p45) Check what to do when you start paying your employee (/running-payroll)