The UK's right to work (RTW) rules changed on 1 October 2026, extending compliance responsibilities beyond traditional employees to include a wider range of workers, contractors and labour supply chain arrangements.
For organisations that use agency workers, contractors, subcontractors or outsourced service providers, the changes mean it's more important than ever to know who is working on your behalf and ensure the appropriate Right to Work checks have been completed.
The challenge for many employers isn't carrying out a right to work check. It's maintaining visibility, consistency and compliance across an increasingly complex workforce.
Continue reading to learn more about the October 2026 right to work changes and how AssuredID can help organisations manage checks efficiently, maintain compliance and gain greater visibility across their workforce.
What is a right to work check?
A right to work check verifies that an individual has permission to work in the UK.
Completing checks correctly and retaining the appropriate records helps organisations demonstrate compliance and establish a statutory excuse should a worker later be found not to have the right to work.
While right to work checks are already a standard part of recruitment and onboarding, the October 2026 changes mean many organisations may now need to review how they manage compliance across their wider workforce and supply chain.
What changed on 1 October 2026?
The new rules broaden the scope of the UK's right to work regime beyond traditional employment relationships.
Historically, organisations have focused on checking direct employees. However, the updated legislation extends to additional working arrangements, including certain workers, contractors and subcontractors.
The changes reflect the reality of today's labour market, where many organisations rely on temporary workers, outsourced services and flexible workforce models to meet business demands.
A key part of the reforms is the introduction of extended liability in some labour supply chain arrangements, increasing the need for organisations to have greater visibility of workforce compliance.
Does this impact your organisation?
You may need to review your right to work processes if you:
Use agency workers
Engage contractors or subcontractors
Outsource services to third-party providers
Work with multiple recruitment or labour suppliers
Employ temporary, contingent or flexible workforces
If individuals are carrying out work on behalf of your organisation, it's important to understand where responsibility sits and whether your current right to work processes remain fit for purpose.
What is extended liability?
One of the most significant changes is the introduction of extended liability within some supply chain arrangements.
In certain circumstances, responsibility for Right to Work compliance may not stop with the organisation directly engaging a worker. Where labour is supplied through agencies, contractors or subcontractors, liability can potentially extend further up the chain.
For employers, this increases the importance of workforce visibility, consistent screening processes and confidence that the appropriate checks have been completed and recorded.
What are the risks?
As compliance responsibilities expand, organisations need confidence that right to work checks are being completed consistently across all workers and suppliers.
Without effective processes in place, organisations may face:
Increased compliance risk
Reduced visibility across their workforce
Greater administrative burden
Difficulties maintaining audit-ready records
Challenges monitoring visa expiry dates and ongoing requirements
Inconsistent processes across suppliers and contractors
As workforces become more complex, manual processes can quickly become difficult to manage and scale.
What should employers do now?
The October 2026 changes provide a good opportunity to review existing right to work processes.
Ask yourself:
Do we have visibility of everyone working on our behalf?
Are checks being completed consistently across suppliers and workforce channels?
Can we quickly access completed records and reports?
Do we have a process for monitoring visa expiry dates?
Can we identify outstanding or incomplete checks easily?
Are our suppliers following a consistent compliance process?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, it may be time to review how right to work compliance is managed across your organisation.
How Reed Screening can help
The October 2026 changes have created a new challenge for employers: maintaining compliance across a wider workforce without increasing the burden on HR, recruitment and compliance teams.
Reed Screening's AssuredID solution helps organisations manage the entire right to work process, from document collection and verification through to reporting and ongoing compliance monitoring.
With Assured ID, organisations can:
Give workers a fast, digital way to complete right to work checks
Reduce administration and manual document handling
Track progress and outcomes in real time
Maintain audit-ready records
Monitor visa expiry dates and ongoing compliance requirements
Access dedicated support for both clients and candidates
For organisations working with agencies, contractors and suppliers, Assured ID also provides greater visibility across the labour supply chain.
Rather than relying on multiple manual processes, employers can oversee completed checks, outstanding actions and compliance activity through a single platform, helping reduce risk and provide greater peace of mind.
Whether you need a small number of Right to Work checks or a fully managed screening solution across your workforce and supply chain, Reed Screening can help.
AssuredID is available on a pay-as-you-go basis for individual checks, while organisations carrying out higher volumes of screening or requiring supplier access, reporting and ongoing monitoring can benefit from a tailored solution designed around their requirements.
The right to work changes introduced on 1 October 2026 may have increased employer responsibilities, but compliance doesn't have to become more complicated.
Learn more about AssuredID or get in touch to discuss a tailored right to work compliance solution for your organisation.