Zero-hours shift cancellation pay

Short answer

Under the law as it currently stands in England and Wales, there is no general statutory right to be paid simply because a zero-hours shift has been cancelled. Whether you are entitled to anything depends primarily on the terms of your contract and on exactly what was agreed, and on whether the shift had already been confirmed and had effectively become a contractual commitment. A significant change is on the way through the Employment Rights Act 2025, which will introduce a specific right to payment for cancelled, moved or curtailed shifts, but that part of the Act is not expected to be in force until 2027.

The current legal position

The defining feature of a genuine zero-hours arrangement is that the employer is not obliged to offer work and, in many arrangements, you are not obliged to accept it. Because of that, if a shift you were offered is cancelled before it starts, there is usually no automatic entitlement to be paid for hours you have not worked. You are generally only paid for hours actually worked.

That general position can change depending on the facts, so several points matter.

First, the wording of your contract is central. Some zero-hours contracts or staff handbooks contain a cancellation clause that promises payment, or partial payment, if a shift is cancelled within a certain period, for example less than 24 or 48 hours before it was due to start. If your contract or agency terms contain such a clause, you can rely on it as a contractual entitlement. Check the written contract, any assignment confirmation, the agency terms if you work through an agency, and any policy or handbook.

Second, the point at which a shift is agreed can matter. If a specific shift was offered and you accepted it, there is an argument that a short, one-off contract for that shift came into existence. If the employer then cancels, you may in principle have a claim for the pay you would have earned. In practice this is often difficult to establish and to enforce for a single shift, and much depends on what was actually agreed and communicated.

Third, if you had already started the shift and were then sent home early, the analysis is different from a cancellation before you arrive. Depending on the contract, you may be entitled to be paid for the hours you had begun or been required to attend.

Fourth, watch the national minimum wage rules. If you are required to be at the workplace, on standby there, or actually working, that time generally counts for minimum wage purposes even if the anticipated tasks fall through. Travelling to a workplace only to be turned away usually does not count, but time you are required to remain at or near the workplace can.

Fifth, if you are in reality treated as though you are guaranteed regular hours despite the zero-hours label, your true employment status and the pattern of work may give you stronger rights than the contract suggests. Employment status is decided on the actual working relationship, not just the label used.

Agency workers

If you work through an agency, your entitlement depends on the agency contract rather than the end client’s arrangements. Some agency contracts pay a minimum sum for a cancelled assignment; many do not. If you are paid via a contract that guarantees hours, cancellation may trigger pay. If not, the general position above applies.

The forthcoming change under the Employment Rights Act 2025

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a new right for workers on zero-hours contracts and zero-hours arrangements to receive a payment each time an employer cancels, moves or curtails a qualifying shift at short notice. In broad terms, for a cancelled shift the payment is intended to reflect the remuneration the worker would have earned had they worked the hours that will now not be worked, with corresponding provision where a shift is cut short or moved. The Act also creates a right to reasonable notice of cancellation of or change to a shift, and there will be defined exceptions to the duty to pay.

Importantly, this right to payment is expressed to be in addition to, and not instead of, any contractual right to remuneration you may already have. However, these provisions are not yet in force. The relevant detail is expected to be filled in by regulations, and this compensation right is anticipated to take effect around 2027. It will not apply retrospectively to a shift cancelled now, so it does not assist with a current cancellation, but it is directly relevant if you are asking about the position going forward.

What facts would change the answer

The outcome turns heavily on details that are not yet clear, in particular whether your written contract, agency terms or a staff policy contains any cancellation or short-notice payment clause; whether a specific shift had been confirmed and accepted, and how firmly it was agreed; how much notice of cancellation you were given; whether you had already attended or started work; and whether you are an employee, a worker, or engaged through an agency. Whether the cancellation is a one-off or part of a repeated pattern may also affect both your legal position and the sensible practical response.

Practical next steps

1. Read your paperwork carefully. Look at the contract, any assignment or shift confirmation, agency terms and any staff handbook or policy, and note anything about cancellation, notice or payment.

2. Preserve the evidence. Keep the message or communication offering the shift, your acceptance, and the cancellation, with dates and times. This helps show what was agreed and how much notice you had.

3. Raise it informally first. Ask the employer or agency, ideally in writing, whether there is a cancellation payment policy and whether they will pay for the cancelled shift. Many disputes of this kind are resolved at this stage.

4. If informal contact fails and you believe you have a contractual entitlement, put a short, clear written complaint or grievance in, setting out what was agreed, the notice given and the payment you say is due.

5. Consider proportionality before any formal claim. For a single cancelled shift the sum involved is often small, and a claim for unpaid wages, while possible, needs to be weighed against the time, effort and any impact on the working relationship. If there is a genuine unlawful deduction from wages or breach of contract, an employment tribunal or the small claims track may be options, but these are usually a last resort for a single shift.

Summary

At present you are not automatically entitled to be paid for a cancelled zero-hours shift unless your contract, agency terms or a workplace policy provides for it, or unless the particular facts show a confirmed shift that had become a binding commitment. Check your paperwork first, because a cancellation clause is the most likely source of any entitlement now. Looking ahead, the Employment Rights Act 2025 will create a statutory right to payment for cancelled, moved or curtailed shifts at short notice, but that is not expected to be in force until around 2027 and will not cover a cancellation happening today.