Time Off for Training: What the Statutory Right Actually Gives You

Time to train is the weakest statutory right in this cluster and the most misunderstood: it guarantees a process, not an outcome. How the request works, the refusal grounds, and the stronger routes that usually beat it.

The statutory request: who and what

• Employees only, with 26 weeks of continuous service, in organisations with 250 or more employees
• The training must improve your effectiveness in the business and the performance of the business - a leisure course does not qualify
• It can be accredited or unaccredited, at work, elsewhere, or online; there is no cap on hours requested
• One statutory request per 12 months, made in writing and dated, stating the training, provider and how it improves the business

The employer’s obligations and refusal grounds

The employer must deal with the request reasonably and within about 3 months including any appeal, meeting with you to discuss it. Refusal is only lawful on the listed grounds: cost burden, inability to reorganise work or recruit cover, detrimental impact on quality, performance or demand, insufficient work at proposed times, or planned structural change. A refusal outside the grounds, or a failed process, goes to tribunal - but the remedy is modest (reconsideration and capped compensation), which is why leverage usually works better than law.

What the right does not give you

The stronger routes

Study support policies, apprenticeship levy funding (large employers must spend it or lose it - asking how yours is used is a high-leverage question), professional development budgets, and for 16-17 year olds without qualifications, the separate right to reasonable paid time off for study towards them. Frame requests around the levy and the appraisal cycle rather than the statutory procedure, and keep the statutory request in reserve as the formal fallback.

Related guides

This article provides general information only and is not legal or financial advice. Employment rights depend on your contract, employment status and circumstances. For advice on a specific situation, contact ACAS on 0300 123 1100 or a solicitor regulated by the SRA. Figures relate to the 2026/27 tax year and are verified against GOV.UK at the review date; always confirm current rates on GOV.UK before acting.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have a right to paid time off for training?

No. The statutory scheme is a right to request unpaid time to train, in organisations of 250+ staff, after 26 weeks of service. Pay and fees are entirely at the employer’s discretion.

Can my employer refuse a time to train request?

Yes, but only on the statutory business grounds and after a proper process with a meeting and an appeal. Refusals outside the grounds can go to tribunal, though remedies are limited.

Does the right apply in small companies?

No - organisations under 250 employees are outside the statutory scheme entirely. Training there is a matter of policy and negotiation.

How often can I make a statutory request?

Once in any 12-month period, in writing. Withdrawn or refused requests still count, so prepare the case before submitting.

What training qualifies?

Anything that would improve your effectiveness at work and the performance of the business - accredited or not, internal or external. Purely personal-interest courses fall outside.

Do apprentices have stronger rights?

Yes - apprenticeships carry structured off-the-job training requirements (about a fifth of working hours) funded through the levy system, entirely separate from the time to train request.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Training and study at work
• ACAS: Training at work
• GOV.UK: Apprenticeship funding