Send a written request for the final pay today, asking for a clear breakdown and a payment date, and keep everything in one email thread. If nothing is done, the missing wages usually drag on and can start affecting rent, bills, and credit commitments. Move quickly to set a short deadline, then switch to the formal route if the deadline is missed. Keep the focus on what is owed, when it should have been paid, and how it can be paid now.
Most employers resolve this once a firm deadline and the correct escalation route are used, but delays are common when the request stays informal. A clean paper trail and a simple calculation of what is outstanding tends to get the fastest response.
What the problem is
An employer refusing final pay usually shows up right after employment ends, when the last payslip is expected and the bank payment does not arrive, or arrives short. It affects employees leaving permanent roles, fixed-term roles, and casual arrangements, including people who resign, are dismissed, or finish an assignment. In UK workplaces it often appears after a final shift has been worked and access to internal systems has been removed, which makes it harder to check hours, overtime, or deductions.
This problem commonly surfaces after an informal chase has already happened, such as a text to a manager or a quick call to payroll, followed by a vague promise that it will be “sorted next run”. It also appears after a partial response, where the employer pays basic hours but withholds holiday pay, commission, overtime, or expenses, or where a deduction is made without a clear explanation. By the time the issue is recognised, the employee is often outside the day-to-day workplace loop and reliant on email responses that can be slow.
Why this happens
Final pay disputes in the UK tend to come from a small set of repeat causes: payroll cut-off dates, missing timesheets, disagreements over notice, and confusion about holiday accrual. Employers sometimes treat final pay as something that can wait until the next payroll run, even when the amount is already known. Another common trigger is a last-minute deduction for training, uniform, equipment, or alleged overpayment, raised only after the employee has left.
Where the relationship ended badly, some businesses hold back pay as leverage to push an employee to return property, sign paperwork, or accept a settlement figure. Others rely on internal handovers between HR and payroll that are slow, especially when a manager has not confirmed final hours or when a leaver form was not submitted on time. A typical organisational response pattern is to ask for the same details repeatedly while the payment date keeps moving.
There is also an incentive issue: once someone has left, there is less internal pressure to prioritise their query compared with current staff. If the employer believes the employee will not escalate, the delay can continue with minimal cost to the business. The fastest outcomes usually happen when the request is framed as a clear outstanding wage amount with a deadline and a stated next step if it is not paid.
Your UK position
In practice, the strongest leverage is clarity and speed. Employers are more likely to pay promptly when the amount owed is set out in a simple calculation, supported by documents, and paired with a short deadline for payment. Keeping the request factual and limited to wages, holiday pay, overtime, commission due, and any deductions makes it harder for the employer to deflect into unrelated issues.
It also helps to separate two conversations: what is owed, and any dispute about property or conduct. Final pay is not normally something the employer can hold back just because there is an argument about a laptop, a uniform, or an exit process. If the employer claims a deduction, asking for the written basis and a breakdown often exposes that the deduction is not properly supported or is larger than it should be.
Where the employer is slow rather than hostile, the practical approach is to give one clear chance to fix it, then move to the recognised dispute route. The moment the employer realises the issue is being treated as a formal wage dispute, responses tend to become more structured and payment is more likely to be authorised.
Official basis in UK
The most practical official route for unpaid final wages is ACAS Early Conciliation, which is the standard gateway step used before an employment tribunal claim. In day-to-day UK cases, it works because it forces the employer to engage with a defined process, and it creates a clear record that the employee tried to resolve the dispute. The conciliator will usually ask for a short summary of what is owed and why, then contact the employer to see if payment or a settlement can be agreed without a hearing.
ACAS explains how Early Conciliation works and what information is needed to start it on its official page: GOV.UK guidance. When the employer wants to avoid the time and cost of a tribunal process, payment is often agreed quickly once the figures and dates are pinned down.
Evidence that matters
Evidence is less about building a perfect case file and more about making the employer’s decision easy. The most useful items are the ones that show what should have been paid and what was actually paid. Where hours are disputed, anything that shows shifts worked and approval of timesheets carries weight, including rota screenshots, clock-in records, and manager confirmations.
Collect the last three payslips if available, the final payslip (even if it shows zero), the contract or offer letter, and any written policy on holiday pay, overtime, commission, or deductions. If the employer mentions a deduction, keep the message and ask for the calculation and the written basis. Bank statements showing the missing or short payment are helpful, but only the relevant lines need to be saved.
Exactly three common mistakes keep appearing in UK final pay disputes. One is relying on phone calls only, which leaves no clear record of what was agreed. Another is sending multiple separate messages to different people, which creates confusion and lets the employer claim nothing was received. The third is arguing about fairness instead of stating the amount owed and the payment date requested.
One thing not to do yet is to accept a reduced figure “as a goodwill payment” if it is described as full and final, unless the shortfall is genuinely resolved and the breakdown matches what is owed.
Quick checklist
- Final payslip and the last payslip before leaving
- Contract or written pay terms, including overtime or commission terms
- Hours and holiday records (rota, timesheets, approvals)
- Bank proof of what was paid and when
Steps to take next
Send one request
Send a single written request to payroll or HR (and copy the manager if appropriate) asking for the outstanding amount to be paid and for a breakdown of how the final pay was calculated. Include the leaving date, the pay period, and the bank details already held on file, and ask them to confirm the payment date in writing. Keep the tone neutral and avoid adding unrelated disputes.
Set a deadline
Give a short, clear deadline for payment and confirmation, and state that the next step will be to start the formal dispute route if it is missed. In UK workplaces, a deadline that lands before the next payroll run often prompts a manual payment where the employer accepts the error. A typical real UK outcome is that the employer pays after a formal deadline is set and the request is routed to HR rather than a line manager.
Check the figures
Before escalating, check whether the shortfall is basic pay, holiday pay, overtime, commission, or an unexplained deduction. If holiday pay is involved, ask for the accrued days calculation and the rate used. If the employer claims an overpayment, ask for the dates and amounts that make up the overpayment and how it was recovered.
Use official process
If the deadline passes without payment or a credible payment date, use the official ACAS Early Conciliation process rather than continuing informal chasing. The official form can be found by following the Early Conciliation route from the GOV.UK page and then starting the ACAS submission; prepare the employer’s legal name, address, and a short statement of what is owed. Do not recreate forms in emails or send unnecessary personal documents; the process works best when the claim is kept to pay dates, amounts, and supporting payslip or rota evidence.
Prepare key details
- Employer legal name and workplace address
- Employment start and end dates, and normal pay date
- Amount outstanding with a simple breakdown
- Copies of payslips, hours evidence, and the deduction explanation (if any)
The normal response timeframe for an employer to react meaningfully is within a couple of weeks once the issue is put into a formal channel, though some resolve sooner when payroll can run a manual payment. If there is no response after starting Early Conciliation, continue through the process and keep communications in writing; escalation happens by completing the conciliation stage and then using the certificate details to move forward if needed. The issue is usually resolved in UK cases when the employer is presented with a clear figure, a deadline, and the reality that the dispute will not stay informal.
Handle related pay
If the missing amount includes more than the final payslip, treat it as a wider wage issue and keep the calculation separate by pay period. Where the employer has a pattern of late or missing payments, it can help to compare the final pay shortfall against earlier underpayments and raise them together as one wage dispute. For practical context on how wage disputes are usually framed and pursued, see EMPLOYER UNPAID WAGES when deciding whether to include earlier missing amounts in the same escalation.
Related issues on this site
If the employer links final pay to a repayment arrangement, such as recovering an alleged overpayment or charging for training, it may start to look like a broken agreement rather than a simple payroll error. That is the point where the consequences of missed instalments and disputed balances become relevant, especially if the employer threatens deductions from wages or demands immediate payment after leaving. In those situations, the practical decision-making overlaps with Payment plan broken — consequences, particularly when deciding whether to agree a schedule or insist on a full breakdown first.
FAQ and quick checks
Holiday pay missing
For holiday pay missing after leaving a job, ask for the accrued days calculation and the rate used, then compare it to the final payslip. If the employer cannot show the calculation, escalation tends to move things along.
Unexplained deductions
For unexplained deductions from final wages, request the written basis and a line-by-line breakdown before discussing repayment. If the deduction is not properly supported, employers often reverse it rather than defend it.
Notice pay dispute
For a notice pay dispute after resignation or dismissal, keep the focus on what the contract says and what was actually worked and paid. If the employer claims no notice is due, ask them to confirm the reason in writing.
Payroll keeps delaying
For payroll keeps delaying final pay, set one deadline and then move to ACAS Early Conciliation rather than repeating chasers. Once the issue is formalised, a manual payment is more likely.
Before you move on
Save a single folder with the final payslip, hours evidence, and the email thread that sets the deadline, then keep the next message strictly about payment and escalation. Time pressure can show up as being pushed to accept quickly on a reduced “full and final” figure.
Get help with the next step
Contact UKFixGuide — If the employer is still withholding final pay after a written deadline, include the payslip breakdown and the exact amount outstanding so the next escalation is clear.
