If you have ever found yourself Googling an employment law question at 10pm after a difficult conversation with an employee, you already understand the appeal of having expert HR support on call. The question most UK business owners then ask is: should I pay for help as and when I need it, or commit to a monthly HR arrangement?
Both models have real value. The right choice depends on your business size, how often HR issues arise, and how much risk you are comfortable carrying. This guide explains how the two models work, what each one costs, and which tends to suit which type of business.
Ad hoc HR support, sometimes called pay as you go HR, is a straightforward arrangement. You contact an HR consultant when a specific need arises, pay for the time spent on that task, and there is no ongoing commitment. At Centric HR, the pay as you go rate is £140 per hour plus VAT, with no contract required.
Common uses for ad hoc support include:
There is no retainer, no monthly fee, and no long term relationship. You pay for what you use, when you use it.
An HR retainer is a monthly or annual arrangement where your business pays a fixed or bundle based fee in exchange for ongoing access to an outsourced HR team. Think of it as an HR department on subscription. You are not hiring a member of staff; you are buying access to a team of qualified HR professionals who get to know your business and are available when you need them.
A well structured retainer typically includes:
The key difference between a retainer and pay as you go is not just cost, it is the depth of relationship. A retained consultant knows your business, your team, and your history, and that context is genuinely valuable when something difficult arises.
| Feature | Ad hoc HR support | HR retainer |
| Billing | Per hour or per project, cost varies with use | Fixed monthly or annual fee, fully predictable |
| Relationship | Transactional, contact a consultant as issues arise | Ongoing partnership, your consultant knows your business |
| Response time | Depends on consultant availability at the time | Guaranteed response time, often same day or within 24 hours |
| Compliance updates | Reactive, you ask and they advise | Proactive, changes flagged before they affect you |
| Contracts and policies | Reviewed or drafted on request only | Kept up to date as standard |
| Best for | Occasional, one off tasks, stable teams | Growing businesses with regular hiring or people issues |
A typical small business retainer includes a telephone and email advice line, template documents and policies, guidance on day to day people issues, and updates when employment law changes. Where providers differ, and where cheap deals can catch businesses out, is the boundary between advice and doing.
Hands on work such as chairing hearings, attending your site, drafting bespoke documents, or managing a case end to end is often charged on top. Before signing with any provider, ask precisely what is included, what triggers an extra charge, and what the notice period is. Some larger national providers use multi year contracts with automatic price uplifts; we would never recommend signing one without reading the exit clause twice.
Ad hoc support is likely the right choice if:
A retainer arrangement tends to make more sense as your business grows. It is worth considering if:
The average UK HR manager salary is around £45,000. Add employer National Insurance at 15%, pension contributions, software, training, and recruitment costs, and the true annual cost of one in-house HR manager rises to £52,000 to £60,000 or more. An HR administrator or advisor is cheaper, at £26,000 to £35,000, but cannot safely handle complex casework, and either way, one person cannot be an expert in everything; they also take holidays, go off sick, and eventually leave.
A small business on a £300 per month retainer spends around £3,600 a year for access to a whole team’s expertise. Even a heavy year of retainer plus project work rarely exceeds £10,000 to £15,000, still a fraction of one in-house salary.
The honest tipping point is this: once you approach 80 to 100 employees, or you are recruiting constantly across multiple sites, a blended model of in-house administration plus outsourced expertise usually beats either option alone.
Employment tribunal claims regularly run to five figures in awards alone, before legal fees and management time are added. Many of these situations trace back to poorly handled disciplinary processes, inadequate employment contracts, or advice taken from someone not qualified to give it.
The risk is also rising. Under the Employment Rights Act reforms rolling out through 2026 and 2027:
For a small employer, a few hundred pounds a month for expert support is not really an overhead; it is insurance with a genuine return, and one that matters more with each of these changes.
We offer three levels of support, designed to suit businesses at different stages of growth:
| Pay as you go | Premium bundle | Professional | |
| Price | £140/hr + VAT | Discounted hourly rate | Bespoke fixed price |
| Contract | No contract | 12 month arrangement | 12 month arrangement |
| Best for | Occasional use | 1 to 30 employees | 30+ employees |
| Includes | Employment law updates | Employment law updates, extra hours at a reduced rate | Template letter pack, menopause advice pack, training webinar access, optional sickness management service |
All packages include employment law updates, so you are informed of changes that affect your business before they come into force. The Premium and Professional packages are 12 month arrangements that offer continuity of support and a reduced hourly rate compared to pay as you go.
We also offer standalone HR document packs from £19.99, including an employment contract with key policies, for businesses that need foundational documents without committing to a full package.
The decision often comes down to three questions:
If you are unsure, the best starting point is a free HR health check. It gives you a clear picture of where your current HR arrangements stand and what level of support would genuinely benefit your business.
Centric HR is a CIPD-qualified HR consultancy supporting small businesses and SMEs across the UK. Led by Sandra Berns, a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD with 25 years of experience, Centric HR provides outsourced HR support, employment law advice, and people management guidance nationwide.
Get in touch: Tel: 03333 660 567 Email: enquiries@centrichr.co.uk
Book your free HR health check or book a virtual appointment to get started.
Most small businesses pay between £100 and £500 per month on a retainer, depending on headcount and the depth of support. Larger or more complex businesses typically pay £500 to £800 or more.
In almost all cases, yes. An in-house HR manager typically costs £52,000 to £60,000 a year once salary, National Insurance, pension, and recruitment costs are included. A retainer covering the same scope of support usually costs a fraction of that, while giving you access to a whole team rather than one person.
At Centric HR, pay as you go is £140 per hour plus VAT, with no contract and no minimum commitment. You only pay for the time spent on the issue you bring to us.
The main factors are your headcount, how much support you use, and which pricing model you choose. Businesses with more frequent or complex HR needs, such as regular hiring or recurring employee relations issues, tend to benefit more from a retainer, while occasional needs are usually cheaper on a pay as you go basis.
Ask any provider exactly what is included before you sign anything. Hands on work such as chairing hearings, attending your site in person, drafting bespoke documents, or managing a case from start to finish is often charged separately from a standard advice retainer. It is also worth checking for multi-year contracts with automatic price increases built in, and reading the exit clause before you commit.
Yes. It is common to start with ad hoc support and move to a retainer once HR needs become more frequent, or the other way around if things settle down. We can adjust your arrangement to suit your business as it changes.
