Work

With settled or pre-settled status — or a work visa — you have the right to work in the UK on the same basis as anyone else, and the same employment rights as anyone else. This page covers getting started and staying protected.

Finding work

• Find a job (GOV.UK) — the official job board, free, no account needed to search.
• Jobcentre Plus — help with job hunting and claiming while you look.
• Recruitment agencies are legal and common, but they may not charge you a fee for finding you work, and they must give you written terms. If an agency supplies workers to agriculture, food processing or shellfish gathering it must hold a licence — check it on the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) register. For complaints about any agency, use the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.

Your rights at work

Minimum wage, paid holiday, payslips, rest breaks, protection from discrimination — these apply to you regardless of nationality, and most apply from day one.

• Acas — free, impartial advice on any workplace problem (helpline 0300 123 1100). Start here for disputes.
• Current minimum wage rates (GOV.UK)
• Payslips: what they must show (GOV.UK)

Gotcha: an employer may check your right to work using your share code, but may not treat you worse for having pre-settled rather than settled status, and may not insist on documents the law does not require. If that happens, see refused a job or mistreated at work.

National Insurance number

You need a National Insurance (NI) number so your tax and pension contributions are recorded — but you can start work before it arrives if you can prove your right to work.

• Apply for a National Insurance number (GOV.UK)

Tax basics

Income tax and NI are usually taken automatically from your pay ("PAYE"). Check your tax code on your payslip — a wrong code is the most common reason for overpaying.

• Check your income tax (GOV.UK)

Self-employment and starting a business

• Register as a sole trader with HMRC (GOV.UK) — the simple route; you file a tax return each year.
• Set up a limited company (Companies House) — for when a company structure makes sense.

Professional qualifications

If your profession is regulated in the UK (nursing, teaching, engineering, law and many more), your EU qualification may need formal recognition by the UK regulator for that profession. Qualifications recognised before the end of 2020 remain recognised under the Withdrawal Agreement.

• Getting a professional qualification recognised in the UK (GOV.UK)
• UK ENIC — statements comparing your qualification to UK levels (fee applies), often asked for by employers.

Last reviewed: July 2026.