Hiring in the UK in 2026 is defined by two tightening constraints: digital right-to-work checks required on every new hire (including British and Irish citizens since April 2022), and the off-payroll working rules (IR35) that shift tax-status risk onto medium and large businesses engaging contractors. GeraJobs is built around both.

The UK regulatory stack

Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 & 2022 digital right-to-work rules— identity-verification via a Home Office-accredited Identity Service Provider (IDSP). We integrate with two leading IDSPs and provide the statutory excuse certificate to the employer automatically.
IR35 / off-payroll working — for medium and large clients engaging contractors via an intermediary. Our flow produces a Status Determination Statement (SDS) reasonably in advance of the first payment.
Equality Act 2010 — automatic protected-characteristic anonymisation option on CV screening; interview-panel guidance; accessible application flow meeting WCAG 2.1 AA.
Employment Rights Act 1996 & Good Work Plan — the written statement of particulars is generated at offer stage.
UK GDPR / ICO — candidate data retention defaults to 6 months for unsuccessful applicants (industry standard, documented). Configurable to 12.
HMRC Real Time Information — optional payroll integration for direct new-hire onboarding.

UK pricing in pounds sterling

Standard job post: £0 (unlimited, always)
Featured post (top-of-search for 14 days): £89 per post
Employer Plus: £199/month — unlimited featured posts, ATS, bulk messaging
Right-to-work check: £4.50 per verification (Home Office-accredited IDSP)
IR35 SDS pack: £24 per contractor determination
Candidate side: always free

Fair comparison with UK alternatives

Indeed UK — the largest UK job site. Free listings get crowded out; most employers pay for Sponsored Jobs at a per-click rate. No built-in right-to-work.
Reed.co.uk — long-established UK board. Single-job post from ~£149; bundled packages for agencies.
Totaljobs / Jobsite — UK-focused job boards, similar pricing to Reed.
LinkedIn Jobs — premium for recruiter seats (£100+/month), very strong in white-collar markets.
CV-Library — database access model for recruiters.
GeraJobs — free posts for employers, free to apply for candidates, compliance workflows integrated, identity verification at cost.

Real UK use case — a Bristol engineering hire

A Bristol fintech posts a mid-level backend engineer role. 84 applications in 10 days. The ATS auto-shortlists to 12 against the must-have criteria. Two interview rounds, one offer accepted. The statutory right-to-work check runs via IDSP in under 90 seconds; the statement of particulars is generated and signed electronically before day one. Total hiring cost: £4.50 right-to-work check. On Reed the same hire would have cost £149 in listing fees minimum.

Strong UK markets

London (all of tech, finance, media), Manchester and Leeds (tech, professional services), Edinburgh (fintech, public sector), Cambridge and Oxford (research, life sciences), Birmingham (professional services and advanced manufacturing), Bristol and Cardiff (tech and creative), Belfast (cyber and creative industries), Newcastle and Sheffield (industrial and public sector).

Related Gera services for UK employers

GeraCompliance — UK GDPR, Equality Act, and EU AI Act compliance for hiring software
GeraCash — RTI-ready UK payroll disbursement
GeraLearn — staff training and CPD records

GeraJobs in the UK 2026 — Right to Work, IR35 and Hiring Without the Indeed Markup