New rules from 1 October 2026

Right to Work checks for courier subcontractors

Right to Work checks no longer stop at employees. From 1 October 2026 they cover individual subcontractors and their substitutes, which is how most same-day courier firms work.

Qinetic gives every driver a clear way to submit their evidence, and gives the office one place to review it and record the decision against the driver's record. Included in Core.

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What changed on 1 October 2026

Section 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 widens who counts as an "employer" for illegal working penalties. If you use owner drivers, these are the parts that matter.

Individual subcontractors are in scope

If your firm has a contract with a customer and passes the work to an individual driver, you are now expected to check that driver's right to work, even if they are self-employed.

Substitutes must be checked first

Where a driver can send someone else, you need to check the substitute yourself before they do any work. You can't leave it to the driver.

Liability can move up the chain

If the business that engaged the driver can't be identified or can't show it did the checks, a business further up the chain can be held liable.

The penalties are per worker

Civil penalties are up to £45,000 per worker for a first breach and up to £60,000 per worker for repeat breaches.

Read the full explanation in our guide: Right to Work checks for courier subcontractors: what changed in October 2026.

From driver submission to recorded decision

1. Submit

Drivers select their evidence route and submit identity evidence, a Home Office share code or requested alternative evidence through the portal.

2. Review

The office reviews the submission. For share-code checks, open the official employer service and attach the resulting profile page to the record.

3. Record

Record the employer's outcome, reference and relevant restrictions or dates against the driver, keeping the evidence with the review.

The same applies to substitutes: add them as drivers in Qinetic and complete their check before they take any work, so every person who drives for you has a recorded decision.

See Qinetic in action

Watch driver onboarding & compliance

From document requirements and driver creation to evidence review, right-to-work checks and an audit pack. A 63-second walkthrough with on-screen captions.

1 min 3 sec · Visual-only · Play when you're ready

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Read the walkthrough transcript

Document types: choose the required documents and track which evidence needs an expiry date.
Compliance requirements: set mandatory checks, evidence requirements and work-readiness rules.
Driver directory: find a driver, see their status and open their record.
Create a driver: enter their details and required checks. The profile is linked to a pending login; the driver chooses their own password.
Invite the driver: send the invitation separately so they can complete signup and continue with evidence collection.
Review compliance: follow the driver's progress through evidence collection, review and completion. See document types, expiry dates and approval status together.
Right to work: review the recorded route, retained evidence and check status. The employer carries out the official check and records the decision.
Audit trail: use Download audit pack to export the right-to-work evidence and decision history.

Evidence and review in one workflow

Driver Portal submissions

Support British or Irish identity evidence, Home Office share codes and requested alternative documents within the same driver workflow.

Official result attachment

Attach a PDF or saved HTML profile page from the official employer service to support the review.

Assisted evidence review

Extract draft details from attached official evidence for the reviewer to confirm against the original.

Recorded employer outcome

Keep the decision and supporting information connected to the driver instead of spread across separate messages and files.

Qinetic assists with collecting evidence and recording the review. The employer carries out the check and makes the decision; extracted details remain drafts until reviewed.

Questions about the workflow

Do I need to check self-employed courier drivers?

From 1 October 2026, very likely yes, if you pass work from your own customer contracts to individual drivers. Those drivers count as individual subcontractors under the new rules. Genuinely independent businesses contracting directly with their own customers are treated differently, so take advice if you're unsure how your contracts work.

Is Right to Work included in Core?

Yes. Driver submissions, evidence review and recorded decisions are included in Core and also available in Pro.

Does Qinetic automatically approve a driver?

No. The reviewer checks the evidence and records the employer's decision. Details extracted from an attachment are suggestions for review.

Where does the driver submit their evidence?

In the Driver Portal. The office reviews the submission in Admin, against the same driver record.

Get every driver checked and recorded

Add your drivers, send them the submission link, and see who still needs checking. Free for 14 days, then £5 per driver per month.