UK: Contractors May Be Covered By Gender Pay Gap Reporting Regulations

The Gender Pay Gap reporting regulations are now in force, and guidance suggests that contractors' earnings may need to be covered in the reports.

An employers' obligation to report on the gender pay gap has been in existence since 6 April 2017, and Acas and the Government Equalities Office have now produced guidance to clarify the extent of that duty.

Of note within that guidance is the additional information on the treatment of casual workers and contractors. It has clarified that those who receive no pay during the relevant reporting period should be excluded from the pay gap calculations, though they should be part of the headcount.

In respect of self-employed contractors, where they are working under a contract to personally do work, the guidance says they should be included in both the headcount and the calculations insofar as relevant pay data is available. In some instances, a contractor's invoices or schedules of fees may yield that data.

It remains the case that there is no penalty for failure to comply with the Regulations.

Acas and the Government Equalities Office: Managing gender pay reporting