Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Fixed-term contract definition

What does Fixed-term contract mean? A fixed-term contract is an agreement that lasts for a specified period or until a stated event (for example, project completion), after which it ends unless renewed. It commonly covers project work, maternity cover or seasonal roles. Early termination usually requires an express break clause; otherwise, ending it early risks breach. In employment law, the term is defined in legislation: the Fixed-term employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 in Great Britain, the 2002 Northern Ireland Regulations, and Ireland’s Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003. Key features include: - A set end date or objective condition. - Non-renewal on...

Fixed-term employees: equal treatment, detriment and unfair dismissal, conversion to permanence after four years, notice implications, objective justification, collective agreements, and tribunal claims under the FTE Regulations 2002

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Practice notes

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An employee engaged on a Fixed-term contract of employment has various rights and protections that derive from the Fixed-term Work Framework Directive 1999/70/EC, which was implemented in the UK law by the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 (FTE Regulations 2002), SI 2002/2034:

The worker must be treated no less favourably than a comparable permanent colleague; it is therefore unlawful for an employer to give fixed-term staff inferior benefits and/or lower pay than permanent staff
In specified situations, the individual may require their fixed-term contract to be converted to a permanent one, removing any limit on its duration
The worker is protected from detriment or dismissal arising from exercising rights under the Regulations

EU-derived measures such as the FTE Regulations 2002, which were made to fulfil the UK’s obligation to implement a Directive, are retained within the UK’s domestic legal system as assimilated law. For additional details, see Practice Note: Assimilated law. That Practice Note includes references to case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)...

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Web page updated on 28/05/2026

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