Manika 
(C): Unsplash
Underpaid holiday pay and underpaid sick pay are costing millions of UK workers money every year — with many unaware that they have the right to fight back. It appears as though you have been underpaid – and now, all workers have a strong and confidential way to report to their employers. Here are all the details you need.
Your Holiday Pay Rights UK Workers Are Guaranteed
According to UK employment rights 2026, most employees have the right to at least 5.6 weeks of vacation yearly. Holiday pay must be based on your regular pay (including regular overtime, commission and shift allowance. A fixed basic rate, when the amount of earnings is greater, is a common type of underpayment of wages by employers in the UK that has been well documented.
Along with this, employees have the protection from sick pay rights UK law offers them. Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is paid from the 4th day of sickness. Not to pay it, or to pay less than the statutory minimum, is a clear breach of new regulations to the UK’s labour law that the agency’s expanded duties have reinforced.
What Is the UK Fair Work Agency?
The UK Fair Work Agency (Fair Work Agency) will take over from the previously disjointed system of enforcement by HMRC and the EASI, introducing a single agency to enforce the employment standards that are in place. It has jurisdiction over unpaid wages in the UK, underpaid leave and over wider issues of unfair workplace practices in the UK. Most importantly, it’s not a piece of paper; it has investigation and enforcement powers as well as monetary sanctions, and so it’s the most important change in employee protection in the UK in years.
How to Report Your Employer Anonymously
A key development under FWA will be the option to report a workplace complaint in the UK whilst maintaining your anonymity. There’s no stigma in reporting the employer’s pay in the UK.
Step 1: Log in to the Portal
Go to the Fair Work Agency complaints section on the official UK Fair Work Agency Portal (GOV.UK). A grievance and complaints page for the Fair Work Agency can be accessed online around the clock for 365 days.
Step 2: Fill out the Online Form
Click on the link to report any pay and work rights concern and complete details of your situation. Add your employer’s name, type of underpayment, and the time covered by the underpayment.
Step 3: Request Confidentiality
In the form, make it clear that you do not want your information to be shared. FWA will not reveal your identity to your employer without your permission — an important protection for those who are concerned about retaliation.
Alternative Contact Methods
In the event that you do not want to report anonymously to the UK online workplace reporting system, you can:
- Email: [email protected]
- Helpline: 0345 161 6000
Evidence to Gather Before You Report
Before you submit a report in the UK, put together the following to bolster your case and ensure the FWA can take swift action on the report of labour violations:
- Gives missing or incorrect payslips with holiday and sick pay.
- An employment contract that specifies agreements for your entitlements
- Any email or messaging that asked for vacation or explained why you were not showing up for pay
- A record or schedule of the days and times you are entitled to be paid for, signed and dated to show that you were attended on those days and at those times.
The greater the amount of documentation you give investigators, the more it will help them in their case.
What Happens After You Report?
Once a complaint is made via the Fair Work Agency complaints portal, the investigators will be able to:
- Check work records and require employers to provide documentation
- Send enforcement notices to employers for back-dated arrears to be paid within 28 days
- Institute civil penalties of up to £20,000 for non-compliant employers for each employee involved.
These are no idle threats. The FWA is keen on the underpaid holiday pay and underpaid sick pay cases because the government is focusing its efforts in that area to combat unfair workplace practices in the UK.
Don’t Wait — Your Rights Have an Expiry Date
The current UK employment law places a two-year back-pay limitation on claims for unpaid wages and unpaid holiday pay. Action now will result in more recovery. The UK Fair Work Agency aims to ensure that employers feel the consequences for wage theft in the UK, whether this has been an issue for weeks or years.
Holiday pay rights in the UK are not a luxury, but rather legal requirements. Take advantage of the protection system that surrounds you.
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