How to Make a Flexible Working Request
Employees in England, Scotland and Wales can ask for flexible working from their first day in a job. Put your request in writing and say it is a statutory request. Write your letter, and we print it and post it to your employer by Royal Mail.
Send your flexible working request by Royal Mail Tracked 24, from £8.99, so you can prove the date it arrived.
From £2.49 including printing and postage
- No printer or Post Office trip
- See the finished letter before you pay
- Order by 2.30pm for same-day posting
Quick Answer
- From day one
- Since 6 April 2024
- Requests allowed
- 2 in any 12 months
- Employer must decide
- Within 2 months
- Before refusing
- Must consult you
- Tribunal award
- Up to 8 weeks' pay
These rules are for employees in England, Scotland and Wales. Different rules apply in Northern Ireland.
Where to Send It
Send your request to your employer. A letter or an email both count, but an email only counts on the day it is sent if your employer has agreed to take requests by email.
Your employer
Your statutory flexible working request.
Your manager or HR teamat your employer's addressA posted request counts as received on the day it would normally be delivered. Keep a copy.
Write your letterYour appeal
If your employer refuses and offers you an appeal.
The person named inyour employer's decisionAn appeal is good practice under the Acas Code, not a legal right. The 2 months for a decision include any appeal.
Write your appealAcas
If your employer does not follow the rules.
Acas early conciliationonline or by phoneYou must contact Acas before you can make an employment tribunal claim.
Checked against GOV.UK, Acas and legislation.gov.uk on 20 October 2026.
Why Send It With PostRight
Proof It Arrived
Choose Tracked 24 and you can see when your letter was delivered, with a photo on delivery. Useful when a deadline or reply time counts from the day it arrives.
No Printer, Envelope or Stamp
Type your letter or upload a PDF on any device. We print it, put it in the envelope and post it.
Posted Today
Order by 2.30pm on a working day and we post it the same day by Royal Mail.
How It Works
- 1Write your letterPress Write Your Letter and add your employer's address. Say it is a statutory request, the change you want and when you want it to start.
- 2Check itRead your letter on screen before you pay. Make sure it is dated and says whether you have asked before.
- 3We print it and post itOrder by 2.30pm on a working day and we post it the same day by Royal Mail. Choose a tracked service for a record of when it arrived.
Your Right to Ask
Since 6 April 2024, employees have the right to ask for flexible working from their first day in a job. You can make 2 statutory requests in any 12 months, but not a new one while your employer is still dealing with an earlier one.
Flexible working can mean job sharing, working from home, hybrid working, part time, compressed hours, flexitime, annualised hours, staggered hours or phased retirement. Only employees can make a statutory request, and agency workers usually cannot.
What Your Request Must Include
Your request must be in writing and dated. Say that it is a statutory request for flexible working, set out the change you want and when you want it to start, and say whether you have made a request before and when.
Since April 2024 you no longer have to explain how the change would affect your employer.
What Your Employer Must Do
Your employer must deal with your request in a reasonable manner and decide within 2 months, including any appeal, unless you agree to a longer time. It must consult you before it refuses.
The 8 Reasons an Employer Can Give
An employer can only refuse for one of 8 business reasons: extra costs that will damage the business, the work cannot be reorganised among other staff, people cannot be recruited to do the work, it will affect quality, it will affect performance, the business will not be able to meet customer demand, there is a lack of work during the proposed times, or the business is planning changes to the workforce.
What Is Changing in 2027
The Employment Rights Act 2025 became law on 18 December 2025. It means an employer will only be able to refuse a request if it is reasonable to do so. The government says it intends this to take effect in autumn 2027.
If Your Employer Breaks the Rules
You cannot go to a tribunal just because the answer was no. You can if your employer did not handle your request reasonably, wrongly treated it as withdrawn, refused it based on incorrect facts, or treated you badly because of it.
Contact Acas for early conciliation first. A tribunal can award up to 8 weeks' pay, with a week's pay capped at £751 from 6 April 2026. Claims have strict time limits, so act quickly.
Why Send It by Post
Your employer's 2 months start when your request is received. A posted request counts as received on the day it would normally be delivered, and a tracked letter gives you proof of that date.
More Ways to Send
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Since 6 April 2024, employees can make a flexible working request from their first day in a job.
Send your flexible working request today.
Write or upload your letter, choose your service at checkout, and we print it and post it by Royal Mail.