Which UK employers have to report their gender pay gap?

Full answer

Gender pay gap reporting is a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations 2017. It applies to any employer with 250 or more employees on the snapshot date. Smaller employers can report voluntarily but are not required to. The gender pay gap is the difference in average pay between all men and all women across the organisation -- it is not the same as equal pay, which is about men and women being paid the same for the same job. The snapshot date is 5 April for private and voluntary-sector employers (publish within 12 months, by the following 4 April) and 31 March for most public-sector bodies (publish within 11 months, by the following 30 March). Employers must calculate and publish six measures: mean and median hourly pay gaps, mean and median bonus gaps, the proportion of men and women receiving a bonus, and the proportion of men and women in each of four pay quartiles. Worked example: if women's median hourly pay is GBP 18.00 and men's is GBP 20.00, the median gap is (20 - 18) / 20 = 10%. A positive figure means men are paid more on average. Figures must be reported on the official gov.uk gender pay gap service and on the employer's own website, where they must stay visible for at least three years. A written statement confirming accuracy, signed by a senior person, is required. Employers can add a voluntary narrative and action plan, though this is not currently mandatory. There is no fixed financial penalty in the regulations, but the Equality and Human Rights Commission can take enforcement action, including court orders, against non-compliant employers, and non-reporting carries reputational risk. Check gov.uk for the exact employee-counting rules, as some contractors and casual staff can count toward the 250 threshold.

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