The Sunday-night job, done properly: where the hours come from, the shifts that cross midnight, the 2026 minimum wage, breaks, holiday and payslips.
Pay is for hours worked. Start from the clock-in and clock-out times, not from the rota, which is only what you planned. Where the two differ, find out why before you pay. Somebody who stayed to clear a rush worked those minutes.
If somebody forgot to clock out, don't count to the next morning. Close the shift at the rota end or your closing time, and write down which one you used, so the payslip can be explained if they ask.
A shift from 5pm to half past midnight is 7½ hours. It's an easy one to get wrong in a spreadsheet, where "00:30 minus 17:00" comes out as a negative number. Count to midnight, then add the time after it.
Most takeaways have a shop rate and a few people on their own rate. Work out each person's pay at their rate: hours × hourly rate = gross pay. Then add the week up for the whole shop.
If somebody works at two of your shops, add their hours together into one week first. Two half-weeks on two sheets is how pay mistakes and missed overtime happen.
The rates from 1 April 2026, from gov.uk:
| Age | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.71 |
| 18 to 20 | £10.85 |
| Under 18 | £8.00 |
| Apprentice (under 19, or in their first year) | £8.00 |
The rates change every April, and the age bands matter: somebody who turns 21 moves up a band. Check the current rates at gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates.
Adults working more than 6 hours get a 20-minute break. It doesn't have to be paid unless the contract says it is. Whatever your contracts say, take breaks off (or don't) the same way for everybody, every week.
Some staff are paid by bank transfer and some in cash. That's just how the money moves. Either way it's pay, and it goes through payroll and onto the payslip. It helps to see the split for the week, so you know how much cash to have ready and how much to transfer.
Most takeaway staff work different hours each week. Almost every worker is entitled to 5.6 weeks' paid holiday a year, and people on irregular hours build theirs up based on the hours they've actually worked. For leave years that began after 31 March 2024, you can pay it as rolled-up holiday pay with each pay packet instead. Details at gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights.
Everybody gets a payslip. For staff whose pay depends on the hours they work, it must show the number of hours, as well as pay before and after deductions. Tax, National Insurance and pension deductions are your payroll's job. Your accountant or payroll provider works those out from the gross figures.
Once a week is paid, keep a fixed record of exactly what was paid and why. If you change somebody's rate next month and your spreadsheet works pay out from the current rate, it will quietly rewrite every past week. A paid week should never change.
It isn't payroll software, and we don't pretend it is. It works out hours and gross pay. Your accountant or payroll provider still runs payroll, and they can have their own view of the frozen week, so nobody retypes a timesheet. See FireAttend.
From 1 April 2026: £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, £10.85 for 18 to 20, £8 for under-18s, and £8 for apprentices in their first year or under 19. The rates change every April.
Not by law. A rest break doesn't have to be paid unless the contract says it is. Whatever you decide, apply it the same way every week.
Yes. How you pay somebody, by bank transfer or in cash, doesn't change the fact that their pay goes through payroll and onto their payslip.
No. FireAttend works out hours and gross pay from the clock-in records and issues payslips from a frozen week. Your accountant or payroll provider still runs payroll, and can have their own view of the frozen week.
Run two real pay weeks on FireAttend free. 60 days, £6 a week per shop after that, however many staff.
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