Do you have to pay staff who cannot get to work in bad weather?

It is 6.30 on a January morning and the roads are white. One person texts to say the buses are off. Another says the school has closed and there is nobody to look after the children. You are wondering whether to open at all, and somebody is bound to ask whether they will be paid.

The answer depends on which of three things has happened: the business is open and someone cannot get in, you have closed or cancelled the transport you provide, or a school or nursery has shut. Each has a different pay rule.

As checked on 11 November 2026, the rules in this guide are in force in England, Scotland and Wales. Acas's guidance on disruption getting to work was last updated on 23 December 2024. Acas on disruption getting to work. The statutory guarantee pay limit of £41 a day has applied since 6 April 2026, set by the Employment Rights (Increase of Limits) Order 2026. SI 2026/310. Time off for dependants is in section 57A of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Section 57A. Northern Ireland has its own rules and is not covered here.

Check the contract when staff cannot get in

Getting to work is usually the employee's responsibility. Acas on disruption getting to work. If the business is open and someone cannot get there, Acas says that where the contract says nothing about pay in these circumstances, you do not have to pay them, because they are not doing the work the contract covers. Acas on pay during disruption.

So the first job is to read what you have already written. If the contract or your absence policy says snow days or travel disruption are paid, that is what you owe. Acas says employers who offer pay in these circumstances should make it clear in the contract, and should make clear which absences are paid and which are unpaid in the contract or a policy. Acas on pay during unauthorised absence.

You can choose to pay even where the contract does not require it. Acas asks employers to consider the benefits, such as morale and keeping staff. Acas on pay during disruption. Acas's guidance on discretionary payments, written for cancelled employer transport where the contract excludes pay, says to treat staff fairly and consistently and to make clear in writing that the arrangement is discretionary and does not apply to future similar circumstances. Acas on pay during disruption. A practical approach is to use that wording for any snow-day payment you make, in the same message to everyone.

Lateness has its own rule. You do not have to pay for time not worked. You can deduct more than that only if the contract allows it, and Acas says the amount should be reasonable for how late the person was. Acas's example is a business that docks an hour's pay for 15 minutes' lateness, so the employee takes the whole hour off. Even where the contract allows deductions, pay must not fall below the National Minimum Wage. Acas on pay during unauthorised absence.

Acas treats travel disruption as a valid reason for lateness or absence. It asks employers to follow their absence policy for recording it, remind people how to report absence where that is appropriate, and offer any support they need. Acas on a valid reason for absence.

Pay normally if you close or cancel the transport

The position changes when the decision is yours. If employees were ready, willing and able to work, Acas says they are usually entitled to their normal pay if you fully or partly close the workplace, or tell them to work fewer hours. Acas on pay during disruption.

The same applies to transport you provide, such as a minibus to a rural site. If you cancel it, employees who were ready, willing and able to work are entitled to their usual pay, unless the contract says there is no entitlement to pay in those circumstances. Acas on pay during disruption.

Sending people home unpaid is a lay-off, and it needs a basis. Acas lists the routes: a term in the employment contract, custom and practice with clear evidence, a national agreement for the industry, an agreement with a trade union, or an agreed change to the contract. If the agreed change is permanent, you must confirm it in writing within one month. Acas on lay-offs and short-time working. GOV.UK puts the default plainly: an employee should get full pay unless the contract allows unpaid or reduced-pay lay-offs. GOV.UK on lay-offs. A clause cannot be added on the morning of a storm without the employee's agreement.

Where an unpaid lay-off is allowed, statutory guarantee pay is the floor. The law requires a payment to an employee who is given no work throughout a day they would normally be required to work, because of an occurrence affecting the normal working of the business. Section 28. Acas gives a fire or flood as examples of the emergencies that can lead to a lay-off. Acas on lay-offs and short-time working. The rules are:

• The maximum is £41 a day, for up to five days in any three months, so £205 at most. Someone who usually earns less than £41 a day gets their normal daily rate. GOV.UK on guarantee pay
• Part-time staff get days in proportion: someone who works two days a week can claim for at most two days in three months. Acas on lay-offs and short-time working
• The employee needs one month's continuous employment, and loses the payment for a day if they unreasonably refuse suitable alternative work you offer for it, or do not meet reasonable requirements to stay available. Section 29
• Nothing is due for a day on which they do some work. GOV.UK on guarantee pay

Not paying guarantee pay that is due counts as an unlawful deduction from wages, GOV.UK says. GOV.UK on guarantee pay.

Lay-offs apply to employees. Acas notes that agency workers, casual workers and people on zero-hours contracts are not likely to be employees, and that someone with worker status does not usually have guaranteed hours, so you could ask them not to work without a lay-off. Acas on lay-offs and short-time working. Check their contract for any promise about cancelled shifts. Our guide to ending a zero-hours contract and stopping shifts covers what is owed when a shift is cancelled, and the short-notice payments that are enacted but not yet in force.

Agree the alternatives before reaching for holiday

Acas asks employers and staff to be as flexible as they can. It suggests letting people come in later if the weather is due to improve, work flexible hours to make up the time, work from home, swap hybrid days or shifts, or do different duties for the day. When you agree any of these, take individual circumstances into account and be consistent in how you treat everyone. Acas on disruption getting to work.

You can ask whether someone would like to take holiday, and some will prefer a day's paid leave to a day without pay. You can also tell people they must take holiday, but the law requires notice of twice as many days as the leave, given before that period begins. Regulation 15, Working Time Regulations 1998. Some agricultural workers in Wales and Scotland are outside this rule. Acas's example is one day of holiday, which needs two days' notice. Acas on disruption getting to work. A text on the morning of the snow cannot make that day annual leave. Acas says telling people to take holiday might be an option if you know about the disruption in advance or it is likely to last a long time. A written contract term can change the notice rules, so check yours. Our guide to Christmas closure holiday notice works through the count in calendar days.

If someone has no holiday left, Acas lists other options: unpaid leave, making the time up later, swapping shifts or non-working days, or borrowing from next year's holiday where the contract gives more than the statutory 5.6 weeks. Acas on disruption getting to work.

Allow time off when the school closes

A school or nursery closure is a different matter from the commute. The law requires you to let an employee take a reasonable amount of time off during working hours to take action that is necessary because of the unexpected disruption of arrangements for a dependant's care. Section 57A. Acas gives a child's school closing for the day as an example. Section 57A sets no qualifying period, so it covers a new starter too. Acas on disruption getting to work; Acas on time off for dependants.

The time off does not have to be paid, though you can choose to pay it. Acas on time off for dependants. The law does not set a number of days. GOV.UK's example is a parent of a sick child taking time off to make care arrangements, after which the employer may ask them to take annual leave or parental leave to look after the child for longer. GOV.UK on time off for dependants. GOV.UK also says the right does not cover a situation the employee knew about beforehand. Neither GOV.UK nor Acas says how much warning stops a closure being unexpected, such as an announcement the evening before. Seek appropriate advice before refusing time off on that ground.

The right applies only if the employee tells you the reason as soon as reasonably practicable and, unless they cannot do that until they are back, how long they expect to be off. Section 57A. GOV.UK says this does not have to be in writing and needs no written proof. GOV.UK on taking time off.

Three protections apply. An employee can complain to a tribunal about an unreasonable refusal. Section 57B. They are protected from detriment for taking the time off. Section 47C. Dismissal or selection for redundancy for taking or asking for it is automatically unfair, with no minimum length of service. Acas on time off for dependants.

Write the bad weather policy down before the first snow

Acas says employers should have a policy for disruption getting to work. Acas on planning for disruption. A practical version fits on one page and answers:

• when it applies, for example widespread disruption rather than a late train
• who staff contact, and how you will tell them the site is closed
• whether home working, other sites or different duties are options
• what happens to pay if someone cannot get in
• what happens to pay if you close or cancel transport, matching the contract

Put safety in the same page. Acas says employers have a duty of care and should not encourage staff to travel when it is not safe, for example where people are told not to travel except in emergencies. For staff who drive for the job, it asks employers to follow local travel advice and do a risk assessment. Acas on disruption getting to work.

Keep a note of each disruption day: who was off and why, who worked from home, any closure and the message that announced it, holiday agreed, and what was paid. Claims about unpaid wages, guarantee pay and refused time off for dependants now have a six-month time limit, for cases where the relevant date is on or after 1 October 2026. Section 23; Section 34; Section 57B; SI 2026/954. Our guide to the six-month tribunal time limit sets out how long to keep records. If a case does not fit the policy, the Acas helpline can talk it through.

Common questions

Do I have to pay staff who cannot get to work because of snow?

Not if the business is open and the contract says nothing about pay in these circumstances, Acas says, because the employee is not doing the work. Acas on pay during disruption. If the contract or a policy says which absences are paid, follow it. Acas on pay during unauthorised absence. You can still choose to pay, and Acas asks employers to consider the benefits, such as morale and keeping staff.

Do I have to pay staff if I close the business because of bad weather?

Usually yes. Acas says employees who were ready, willing and able to work are usually entitled to their normal pay if the employer closes the workplace. Acas on pay during disruption. An unpaid lay-off needs a basis such as a contract term, and then statutory guarantee pay of up to £41 a day for five days in three months applies. GOV.UK on guarantee pay

Can I make staff take a day's holiday for a snow day?

Only with notice of twice as many days as the leave, so two days' notice for one day of holiday, unless a written agreement changes the rule. Acas on disruption getting to work; Regulation 15. You can ask whether someone would like to take holiday on the day, and some will prefer paid leave to an unpaid day.

Is time off for a school closure paid?

Employees can take a reasonable amount of time off when care arrangements for a dependant are unexpectedly disrupted, and Acas gives a school closing for the day as an example. Section 57A; Acas on disruption getting to work. The employer does not have to pay for it unless the contract or a policy says so. Acas on time off for dependants