Employers are legally required to notify the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS) when proposing to dismiss 20 or more employees as redundant at a single establishment within a 90-day period. This is a critical compliance step in any collective redundancy process, and failure to do so is a criminal offence and can result in an unlimited fine not only for the employer, but potentially for directors and/or other senior staff.
While large-scale redundancies and collective consultation are complex areas of law, for the purposes of this update we want to highlight an important change:
From 1 December, the HR1 form must be completed online via the GOV.UK portal. The previous Word version can no longer be downloaded or submitted by email.
To meet the obligation to share the HR1 form with trade union or employee representatives, ensure you save or print the summary page before submission, as the form cannot be retrieved, saved, or printed once submitted.
Timing is important and the HR1 form must be submitted before consultation begins and at least:
- 30 days before the first dismissal (if 20-99 proposed redundancies)
- 45 days before the first dismissal (if 100 + proposed redundancies)
How we can help
We have extensive experience advising on redundancy exercises of all sizes, helping clients develop bespoke, commercially focused plans that minimise disruption, mitigate risk, and ensure compliance. If you are at the early stages of any redundancy process and would like to speak to the team, please contact Katie Harris-Wright or your usual contact in the Employment Team.
This is only intended to be a summary and not specific legal advice.
