Someone turns up on site tomorrow morning, ready to start. Have you actually checked they’re allowed to work in the UK — or did a recommendation from a mate feel like check enough?
It’s an uncomfortable question, but it isn’t optional. Every UK employer is legally required to verify a person’s right to work before they start, and getting it wrong carries real financial risk, not just an awkward conversation.
This is a general guide, not legal advice — every situation is different, so when in doubt, check the official GOV.UK guidance or speak to a qualified adviser.
Physical Biometric Residence Permits have been phased out. Most non-British and non-Irish workers now prove their status through a share code generated from their own online account, which they give to you along with their date of birth. You check it through the official government service — never through a screenshot, a photo, or a copy someone hands you. British and Irish citizens usually prove their right to work with a passport or other accepted document instead.
A right to work check only protects you if you can show you did it properly — a dated copy of the result, kept securely, for as long as the person works for you and for a period afterwards. “I checked it at the time” isn’t much of a defence without the paperwork to back it up.
Getting this wrong can mean civil penalties running into the tens of thousands of pounds per worker, and in the most serious cases, criminal liability. It’s one of the few compliance areas where “I didn’t know” offers very little protection.
From October 2026, the right to work regime is expected to widen beyond traditional employment — reportedly extending to certain subcontractor arrangements and platform-based ways of finding labour. If your business relies on subcontractor chains, this is genuinely worth watching over the coming months rather than filing away as someone else’s problem.
The detail is still being finalised, so the safest move is to check the official guidance directly as it’s confirmed, rather than relying on secondhand summaries — including this one.
Right to work checks are a legal minimum, not a full picture of who you’re working with. Verified identity is one part of knowing who’s arriving on site — credentials, work history and ratings from previous jobs are the rest of the picture.
NEXT STEP
Build your compliance checks into how you already find people, not as a separate step. Search MESHHH for tradespeople whose profiles can include verified status, CSCS cards and credentials in one place.
