Key takeaways
Online HR1 form becomes compulsory for notifications
Employers must use the digital process for collective redundancies
Failure to comply can lead to criminal liability
Directors and businesses risk penalties for late or missing submissions
Early planning ensures smooth compliance with new rules
Update internal procedures and train HR teams before December deadline
Where an employer is proposing to make 20 or more redundancy dismissals within 90 days at a single establishment/site, the collective consultation rules will apply and the employer has a legal obligation to notify the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service (RPS) using form HR1.
The employer must submit form HR1 to the RPS before any individual employee is given notice of redundancy and at least:
30 days before the first redundancy dismissal (for between 20 to 99 redundancies); or
45 days before the first redundancy dismissal (for 100 or more redundancies).
The Insolvency Service has recently launched an online HR1 form. It estimates that this will take an employer around 40 minutes to complete.
Employers can voluntarily use this online HR1 form now, although its use will become mandatory from 1 December 2025.
