If you are an employee who holds a qualifying public office or carries out a listed public duty, you can request a reasonable amount of time off during working hours to perform it. This is separate from annual leave and from time off for jury service. The public-duty right does not guarantee wages: an employer may choose to pay, but there is no general statutory public-duty payment or separate DWP benefit claim.
The statutory lists and legal citations differ between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Check the section for the nation where your job is based; a public appointment or voluntary role is not automatically covered just because it serves the public.
First check that the role is on the statutory list
Agree the time with your employer in advance
Pay is not guaranteed by this right
Which public-duty rules apply?
For England, Scotland and Wales, section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 sets the statutory right and says the amount and conditions of time off must be reasonable. GOV.UK describes the listed roles and the factors to discuss with an employer.
For Northern Ireland, Article 78 of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 applies. Nidirect gives the local list, explains reasonable time and pay, and directs employees to the Labour Relations Agency (LRA) and Advice NI for support. Do not cite the Great Britain Act as the law for an NI job.
Check the role and your employment status
The right is for an employee in one of the offices or bodies covered by the relevant law. In Great Britain, the official list includes a magistrate or justice of the peace, local councillor, statutory tribunal member, specified school or education body member, specified health body member, relevant environmental or water body member, and specified prison monitoring roles. Some further Scottish public bodies are expressly listed.
In Northern Ireland, Article 78 and nidirect identify a justice of the peace, district councillor, statutory tribunal member, independent prison monitoring board member, specified health or education body member, or member of a policing and community safety partnership or district policing and community partnership.
Both official guides list exclusions such as agency workers, police-service or armed-forces members, certain seafarers and offshore workers, and some politically restricted civil servants. The exact role and work arrangement matter; if you are unsure whether you are an employee or whether the office qualifies, ask Acas in Great Britain or the LRA in Northern Ireland before relying on the right.
Not every public appointment is covered. A public body may have its own terms, expenses or time-off policy for appointments outside the statutory list; check the appointment letter and employer policy rather than assuming section 50 or Article 78 applies.
How much time can you request?
The law does not set a standard number of days or hours. The employee and employer should agree time off beforehand where possible. Reasonableness can depend on the time needed for the public duty, the employee’s previous time off for public or trade-union duties, the employer’s business and the effect of the absence on its operation.
The right covers qualifying duties during working hours. It does not automatically cover every preparation task, travel period or activity connected with an office. Explain what the body requires and how long the absence is expected to last, then agree the specific hours or dates with the employer.
Tell your employer and keep the decision
Neither the Great Britain nor Northern Ireland guidance sets a universal number of days’ advance notice or a standard government application form. Tell the employer as early as practical, identify the public office, give the meeting or duty dates and expected hours, and explain any timetable supplied by the body. Ask what evidence is needed and how work cover will be handled.
Keep a dated copy of your request and the employer’s reply. For a series of meetings, agree a repeatable notification process and update it when dates change. The employer may refuse a particular request if the amount or timing is unreasonable in the circumstances; the right is not unlimited leave on demand.
Requesting time off for a public duty
- 1Check the official Great Britain or Northern Ireland list for your job location and confirm that you are an employee holding a covered office.
- 2Get the meeting notice or duty schedule from the appointing body and identify the working hours you expect to miss.
- 3Tell your employer as early as practical. Ask to agree the dates, hours, work cover and any required evidence in writing.
- 4Check your contract and staff policy for pay, expenses or a special leave arrangement; do not assume statutory wages or a government benefit will be paid.
- 5If the duty pattern changes, update your employer. If a request is refused or pay is disputed, use the relevant advice and workplace dispute route promptly.
Is the time off paid?
There is no general statutory requirement for the employer to pay wages for public-duty time off. The employer may pay voluntarily, or a contract, collective agreement or workplace policy may provide paid release. Check the terms that apply to you and ask payroll how the absence will appear.
This is not a separate Social Security or DWP benefit claim. If the appointing public body pays an allowance or reimburses expenses, check that body’s rules; those payments are separate from the employer’s time-off right and are not guaranteed by it.
Trade-union duties have separate provisions and should not be treated as public-office time off just because GOV.UK groups related information together. For recognised representatives’ duty and training time, pay, and the GB/NI legal split, see the new Trade Union Representative Time Off guide. Reserve-force call-up has its own employment protections. Jury service is also a different process: employers must release employees for jury service, and the court has a separate expenses or loss-of-earnings process. Use the England and Wales Jury Service guide, Scotland Jury Service guide or Northern Ireland Jury Service guide for a summons.
For an unexpected emergency involving someone who depends on you, see the separate UK Time Off for Dependants guide. That right addresses an immediate family or care emergency, not scheduled public duties.
If the employer refuses or disputes pay
Ask the employer to explain its decision and the reason in writing. In Great Britain, you can raise a grievance and contact Acas for employment-rights guidance. In Northern Ireland, follow the workplace grievance process and contact the LRA or Advice NI. The correct remedy and any deadline depend on the claim and nation, so get current advice promptly rather than relying on a general guide to calculate a deadline.