Zero Hour Contract Earnings Calculator UK 2026
Work out your exact take-home pay, holiday entitlement and tax deductions as a zero hour contract worker. Updated for the April 2026 National Living Wage rise to £12.71 per hour, with full support for rolled-up and separate holiday pay methods. For wider employment rights information, visit our employment rights tools.
Zero Hour Contract Key Facts 2026
Who Is This Calculator For?
Retail and Hospitality Workers
Calculate weekly take-home based on variable shifts and confirm your holiday pay is correct on each payslip.
Care and NHS Bank Staff
Work out net pay across irregular hours and see how holiday entitlement builds over time using our holiday entitlement calculator.
Students and Part-Time Workers
Check whether your earnings trigger income tax, NI and pension auto-enrolment thresholds. See also our part-time salary calculator.
Employers and HR Teams
Verify payroll calculations for casual workers including rolled-up holiday pay, correct PAYE deductions and employer NI costs.
Calculate Your Zero Hour Contract Pay
Fill in your details below. All fields marked * are required. Results appear instantly.
How the Zero Hour Contract Earnings Calculator Works
Enter Your Pay Details
Input your hourly rate, age band and average weekly hours. The calculator checks your rate against the April 2026 minimum wage automatically.
Choose Holiday Pay Method
Select rolled-up, separate or accrued pot. Each method produces the same legal entitlement of 5.6 weeks per year, but affects your weekly take-home differently.
Add Tax and Deductions
Enter your tax code, student loan plan and pension percentage. The calculator applies correct 2025/26 PAYE bands, NI thresholds and student loan rates.
Get Your Full Breakdown
See gross pay, every deduction, take-home pay, holiday entitlement and total employment package value - shown weekly, monthly and annually with charts.
Zero Hour Contract Pay Rules UK 2026
Zero hour contract workers have the same legal entitlement to pay, holidays and sick pay as regular employees. From April 2026, the National Living Wage rises to £12.71 per hour for workers aged 21 and over. Exclusivity clauses, which previously prevented workers from taking a second job, have been unenforceable since May 2023.
The 12.07% Holiday Pay Rule
The 12.07% rate comes from dividing 5.6 holiday weeks by the remaining 46.4 working weeks (5.6 / 46.4 = 12.07%). Since April 2024, employers can use rolled-up holiday pay, adding 12.07% directly to every payslip but showing it as a separate line item. For a full breakdown of how leave is calculated, see our guide to calculating holiday entitlement.
Income Tax and National Insurance 2025/26
Zero hour workers are paid via PAYE, so tax and NI are deducted by the employer each pay period. The personal allowance is £12,570, meaning earnings below this are tax-free. If you work multiple jobs, PAYE is applied independently by each employer, which can lead to over or underpayment that HMRC corrects at year end. Use our take-home tax calculator to model different income levels.
National Insurance Thresholds 2025/26
| NI Threshold | Weekly | Annual | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Earnings Limit | £125 | £6,500 | 0% (NI credits only) |
| Primary Threshold | £242 | £12,570 | 0% up to PT |
| PT to Upper Earnings Limit | £242 - £967 | £12,570 - £50,270 | 8% |
| Above Upper Earnings Limit | £967+ | £50,270+ | 2% |
Pension Auto-Enrolment
If you earn over £10,000 per year, are aged 22 or over and work in the UK, your employer must auto-enrol you in a workplace pension. Minimum contributions are 5% from you and 3% from your employer on qualifying earnings between £6,240 and £50,270. Use our pension contribution calculator to see how contributions affect your take-home.
Statutory Sick Pay
Zero hour workers can receive SSP of £116.75 per week if their average weekly earnings exceed £125. SSP starts after three waiting days and is payable for up to 28 weeks. Check your full sick pay entitlement with our sick pay calculator.
💡 Employment Rights Act 2025
From 2027, zero hour workers will have the right to be offered guaranteed hours based on their regular working pattern. Workers can reject the offer and remain on a zero hour contract if they prefer.
Real Zero Hour Contract Pay Examples 2026
Scenario 1: Retail Worker, 25 Hours/Week
Person: Priya, 23, supermarket checkout assistant
Situation: Rolled-up holiday pay, tax code 1257L, no student loan
Hourly rate: £12.71
Hours/week: 25 hrs x 46 weeks
Gross pay: £14,619.50/yr
Holiday pay (12.07%): £1,764.38/yr
Income tax: £409.78/yr
NI (8%): £164.00/yr
Take-home: ~£12,400/yr (£239/wk)
Priya earns just above the personal allowance, so pays minimal tax. Her rolled-up holiday pay appears as a separate line on her payslip each week.
Scenario 2: NHS Bank Nurse, 30 Hours/Week
Person: James, 31, bank healthcare assistant
Situation: Separate holiday pay, Plan 2 student loan, 5% pension
Hourly rate: £14.50
Hours/week: 30 hrs x 46 weeks
Gross pay: £20,010/yr
Income tax: £1,488/yr
NI (8%): £595/yr
Student loan (9%): £ 243/yr
Pension (5%): £688/yr
Take-home: ~£16,996/yr (£369/wk)
James accrues 5.6 weeks paid leave per year taken separately. His student loan repayments kick in as earnings exceed the Plan 2 threshold of £27,295, so he pays nothing on this income alone.
Scenario 3: Student, Two Jobs, 15 Hours/Week
Person: Fatima, 19, bar staff and campus ambassador
Situation: Two zero hour jobs, BR tax code on second job, no pension
Hourly rate: £10.85 (age 18-20 NMW)
Hours/week: 15 hrs x 40 weeks
Gross pay: £6,510/yr
Income tax: £0 (below personal allowance)
NI: £0 (below primary threshold)
Take-home: £6,510/yr (£163/wk)
Fatima earns below the personal allowance and NI primary threshold, so keeps her full gross pay. If her employer applied BR tax code incorrectly, she would need to reclaim via HMRC self-assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zero hour workers accrue 5.6 weeks holiday per year, calculated at 12.07% of gross pay. Since April 2024, employers can use rolled-up holiday pay, adding 12.07% to each payslip. The alternative is to pay holiday separately when leave is taken, based on average earnings over the previous 52 weeks worked.
From April 2026, the National Living Wage is £12.71/hr for workers aged 21 and over. Workers aged 18-20 receive £10.85/hr, and those aged 16-17 receive £8.00/hr. Use our minimum wage calculator to check your exact entitlement.
Yes. You are paid through PAYE, so your employer deducts income tax and NI automatically. Tax is charged above the £12,570 personal allowance and NI above the £242/week primary threshold. If your earnings fluctuate below these, some weeks will have no deductions.
Yes. Since May 2023, exclusivity clauses in zero hour contracts are unenforceable by law. You can work for multiple employers simultaneously without breaching any contract. Be aware that having two jobs can affect your tax code and NI deductions.
You qualify for Statutory Sick Pay of £116.75 per week if your average weekly earnings are at least £125. SSP starts after three waiting days and lasts up to 28 weeks. Entitlement is assessed on average earnings over the 8 weeks before illness started. Check your full entitlement with our sick pay calculator.
Rolled-up holiday pay adds 12.07% to every payslip, meaning you receive it spread across the year rather than when you take leave. Separate holiday pay is paid at your normal rate only when you actually take annual leave. Both methods provide the same total annual holiday pay entitlement.
You are auto-enrolled if you are aged 22 or over, earn at least £10,000 per year and work in the UK. If your earnings fluctuate, your employer may still enrol you voluntarily. Minimum contributions are 5% from you and 3% from your employer. See our pension contribution calculator for more detail.
From 2027, workers will have the right to be offered guaranteed hours based on their regular working pattern. Workers can accept or decline the offer. If declined, they can remain on a zero hour arrangement. The change is part of the Employment Rights Act 2025 and does not affect current contracts.
Data Sources and Accuracy
This calculator uses official UK government figures for 2025/26 and April 2026:
- National Living Wage: GOV.UK - National Minimum Wage Rates
- Income Tax Bands: GOV.UK - Income Tax Rates and Personal Allowances
- National Insurance: GOV.UK - National Insurance Rates and Categories
- Holiday Entitlement: GOV.UK - Holiday Entitlement
- Student Loan Thresholds: GOV.UK - Repaying Your Student Loan
- Statutory Sick Pay: GOV.UK - Statutory Sick Pay
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for information purposes only. Results are based on standard PAYE rules and may differ from your actual payslip due to individual tax circumstances, employer-specific arrangements or HMRC adjustments. Always verify with your employer or a qualified accountant for financial decisions.
Last Updated: February 2026
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Your privacy matters. This calculator runs entirely in your browser. No data you enter is sent to any server, stored or shared with third parties.
How It Works: All calculations happen locally on your device using JavaScript. The only server call is to our own process.php for calculation - no personal data is logged or retained after the result is returned.