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RotaProof

Right-to-work checks from 1 October 2026

Self-employed cleaners on your contracts, agency and app-sourced workers now need right-to-work checks. Who's covered, the £45,000 fines and what protects you.

What's changed

For years, the duty to check someone's right to work in the UK applied mainly to employees. From 1 October 2026 it is extended to cover other people who work for you, including:

  • self-employed individuals who do work on your contracts, such as cleaners who invoice you
  • workers supplied by agencies
  • people found or booked through apps and online platforms
Someone genuinely running their own business, who contracts directly with their own customers, isn't covered. Exactly what you have to do can depend on how the work is arranged. If you're not sure, read the Home Office guidance or get advice.

The fines

Maximum fine per person working illegally
First offence£45,000
Repeat offence£60,000

Serious cases, such as knowingly employing someone who isn't allowed to work, can also lead to criminal charges.

What protects you

If you do the right checks, you have what the law calls a statutory excuse, which protects you from the fine even if someone later turns out not to have the right to work. To have it, you need to:

  1. Check them before they start work, using the right method.
  2. Check them again before their permission runs out, if it has an end date.
  3. Keep proof of each check for as long as they work for you, and for two years after they stop.

That's exactly what RotaProof helps you keep track of. Get started.

Our guides for cleaning companies

Read more on GOV.UK

This guide explains how to use RotaProof. It isn't legal advice. For the rules themselves, the Home Office's employer's guide to right to work checks is the final word.