How it worksContract typesSample reportCheck one clausePricingGuidesSign in

For employees

Employment contract review so you know what you’re agreeing to before you sign

An employment contract sets your pay, notice, bonus and what you can and can’t do after you leave, and the offer stage is when you have most room to ask for changes. Upload your contract and get a clause-by-clause report in plain English, for £49 + VAT.

Check my contract Find your situation
Free first look in about 30 seconds£49 + VAT for the full report7-day money-back guarantee

Sound familiar?

The situations people are usually in when they send us a contract.

01

You’ve been offered a role and the contract has a non-compete

The contract says you can’t work for a competitor for 12 months after you leave. Under English law a clause like that is only enforceable if it protects a legitimate interest of the employer, such as client relationships or confidential information, and goes no further than reasonably necessary. The review explains what the clause covers, how it compares with what is usually justified for a role like yours, and what you could ask to change.

02

The bonus you were told about is described as discretionary

The recruiter talked about the bonus as part of the package, but the contract says it is paid “at the employer’s absolute discretion”. That makes a real difference: a discretionary bonus is much harder to claim than a contractual one, even though the employer must still exercise the discretion rationally and in good faith. The review flags the gap so you can ask for the bonus terms in writing before you sign.

03

There’s a six-month probation period

The contract says you are on probation for six months with one week’s notice either way. Probation is a contractual label: it can shorten notice and trigger a review, but it doesn’t switch off your statutory rights. The review explains what the probation clause does, what notice applies during and after it, and whether the terms are clear.

04

The role is hybrid but the contract is vague

The offer said two days a week in the office, but the contract just names a head office and lets the employer change your place of work. The review picks out vague or one-sided terms like this. You also have a right to make a statutory flexible working request from your first day of employment, though that is a right to ask, not a right to have it granted.

05

The notice period and garden leave clause look long

You are asked to give three months’ notice, and the employer can put you on garden leave for all of it, then apply post-employment restrictions on top. The review explains how the notice, garden leave and restrictive covenants fit together, and whether the restrictions are reduced by any time spent on garden leave.

What the report gives you.

Every clause rated for your side, in plain English, usually within ten minutes of paying.

Read a complete sample report

Your rights explained

Where the contract gives you more than the statutory minimum, such as holiday, notice or sick pay, and where it simply repeats it

Restrictive covenants

What the non-compete, non-solicitation, non-dealing and confidentiality clauses stop you doing, and how likely they are to be enforceable

Pay, bonus and benefits

Which parts of your package are contractual and which are discretionary, plus any clawback or repayment terms

Notice and termination

How much notice each side must give, garden leave and pay in lieu clauses, and how they interact

Deductions and repayments

Clauses letting the employer deduct from your pay or recover training costs, and whether they are clear and proportionate

Points to raise

Specific changes to ask for before you sign

What tends to go wrong.

Restrictive covenants that go too far

A non-compete that is wider than necessary may be unenforceable, but you usually only find out if the employer tries to enforce it, and a dispute is stressful and expensive whoever wins. There is currently no statutory limit on the length of a post-employment non-compete in England and Wales (the government has consulted on reform, but nothing is in force). The practical answer is to negotiate the scope, duration and geography at the offer stage, when employers are most willing to move.

A bonus that exists only in conversation

If the contract says the bonus is discretionary, the employer can usually decide not to pay it, and it will be hard to rely on what a recruiter said. If the bonus matters to your decision, ask for the scheme rules, the targets and how the amount is calculated to be put in writing, and check what happens to the bonus if you have resigned or are serving notice when it would be paid.

IP clauses that reach into your own time

By law, copyright in work you create in the course of your employment, and most inventions made in your normal duties, already belong to your employer. Some contracts go further and claim anything you create while employed, including side projects on your own time and equipment. If you have a side project or contribute to open source, ask for a carve-out and list any existing work you own.

Broad deduction and repayment clauses

Under the Employment Rights Act 1996, an employer can generally only deduct from your wages if a law requires it, the contract allows it in writing, or you agreed in writing beforehand (recovering an overpayment of wages is one of the exceptions). A clause allowing “any sums owed” to be deducted, or requiring you to repay the full cost of training however long you stay, is worth querying. A repayment scale that reduces over time is more reasonable.

How it works.

£49 + VAT per contract. No subscription and nothing to sign up for first.

  1. 01

    Upload and pick your side

    PDF or Word. Add a line of context if it helps, such as when they want it back.

  2. 02

    See a free first look

    In about 30 seconds, an overall rating and the headline concerns, before you pay anything.

  3. 03

    Pay, and the review runs

    Usually about ten minutes. Emailed as a PDF with a link to read it online.

  4. 04

    Decide what to do

    Sign it, send back the changes, or take it to a solicitor knowing which clauses to raise.

Questions people ask first.

Anything else, get in touch.

Employment contract reviewsNon-disclosure agreement reviewsHow it comparesAbout us
Can I negotiate my employment contract after I’ve been offered the job?

Yes, and the offer stage is usually the best time. The terms most often negotiated are the length and scope of restrictive covenants, notice periods, bonus terms and working location. Once you have signed and started, changing terms needs the employer’s agreement and is much harder to get.

What makes a restrictive covenant reasonable?

The employer has to show a legitimate interest to protect, such as client connections, confidential information or a stable workforce, and the restriction must go no further than reasonably necessary to protect it. That depends on your seniority, your access to clients and confidential information, the length of the restriction and the area it covers. There is no fixed period that is always acceptable, but the longer and wider the restriction, the more the employer has to justify it.

What does probation mean for my job security?

Probation is a contractual arrangement and does not change your statutory rights. What matters for unfair dismissal is length of service: at the moment most employees need two years’ service to claim ordinary unfair dismissal. The Employment Rights Act 2025 is due to reduce that to six months, with the government’s published timetable pointing to January 2027, so check the position at the time. Some rights apply from day one whatever the probation clause says, including protection from discrimination, the national minimum wage, paid holiday and protection from dismissal for certain automatically unfair reasons such as whistleblowing.

How much notice do I have to give, and how much am I owed?

Your contract sets the notice period, but it can’t be less than the statutory minimum. Once you have worked for one month, you must give at least one week’s notice, and your employer must give you at least one week until you have two years’ service, then one week for each complete year, up to a maximum of twelve weeks. Many contracts give more than that, especially after probation. Also check whether your employer can pay you in lieu of notice or put you on garden leave.

Do I need a lawyer to review my employment contract?

For most job offers, a clear explanation of the contract is what you need, and the report gives you that. QuickLegalCheck is not a law firm and does not give legal advice, so if you are senior, have significant equity or bonus at stake, or are already in a dispute with an employer, speak to an employment solicitor as well.

One clause worrying you?

Paste it in and say which side you’re on. You get a rating, what the clause does and what you might ask for instead. It’s free, with a daily limit.

I’m the
Up to 2,000 characters. Not legal advice.
That’s one clause. The full review reads every clause against the others, from your side.Check the whole contract