Work & volunteering · England
Choosing to volunteer
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Volunteering means giving your time to help without being paid for that time.
You can choose something that interests you.
Think about what you enjoy and the time you want to give.
You can ask a volunteer centre about opportunities.
Ask what you will do.
Ask about hours, training and a named person to help you.
Explain what support makes tasks easier.
You may need pictures, demonstrations, breaks or a buddy.
Ask whether the organisation pays your expenses.
Expenses are costs such as travel.
Check before spending your money.
Ask for the arrangements in writing or another accessible format.
Check that they say what you agreed.
Volunteers do not have all the same rights as paid workers.
The name of the role does not decide all your rights.
Ask for advice if you are unsure.
You should be treated respectfully.
Ask how to report a problem or something unsafe.
Tell your benefits office before you start volunteering.
Ask how your benefits could be affected.
Access to Work does not pay for ordinary volunteering support.
Tell the organiser if a task or timetable does not work for you.
You can discuss changes, a break or stopping.
Check whether you enjoy the role and get useful support.
If you want paid work, ask about your next step.
What you can do next
Choose a role that matters to you.
Ask about support, expenses and your rights before starting.
Find volunteering opportunities Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- NCVO: find a volunteering opportunity Web page
Find opportunities and local volunteer centres. Check access and role requirements with the organisation.
- GOV.UK: volunteers’ rights Web page
Volunteer agreements, support, training and legal status.
- Volunteering and benefits Web page
Reporting volunteering, expenses and benefit conditions.
- HSE: volunteers’ health and safety Web page
Safety responsibilities and ways to raise concerns.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Volunteering: choosing a role, getting support and understanding your rights
Find meaningful voluntary work, agree access support and expenses, and check how your role differs from paid work.
Adults and young people · England
Choose something that matters to you
Volunteering can offer contribution, friendships, skills and enjoyment. Start with your interests and the time you want to give. Ask a local volunteer centre or use the linked opportunity search. You can explore a short or occasional role as well as regular volunteering. Check age requirements and any checks needed for the particular activity.
Ask what the role involves
Ask for an accessible role description and a named contact. Discuss tasks, location, hours, training, supervision, safety and insurance. A volunteer agreement can record expectations, support and expenses. It is usually intended to explain the arrangement rather than create an employment contract. Ask for help if the wording is confusing or seems to require more than you agreed.
Plan support and access
Describe barriers and practical changes that help: clear instructions, demonstrations, extra processing time, a buddy, rest breaks or a quieter space. Ask who will provide and pay for any support. An accessibility passport can record agreed arrangements with your permission. Organisations should make volunteering inclusive, even where the employment duty to make reasonable adjustments does not apply.
Check expenses before spending
Volunteers are not normally paid for their time. Organisations may reimburse reasonable costs such as travel, meals or equipment. Agree which expenses are covered, any limits, whether receipts are needed and when you will be paid back. Ask about advance arrangements if paying first would prevent you taking part. Do not assume every organisation covers every expense.
Understand the legal status of the role
Calling someone a volunteer does not settle their legal status. A genuine non-contractual volunteer usually lacks employment-law protections, including the Equality Act’s employment protections. But obligations, payments, benefits or a promise of paid work may indicate a worker or employment relationship. A contractual “voluntary worker” can have different rights. Get advice about the actual arrangements rather than accepting the label alone.
Fair treatment and raising concerns
Volunteer organisations should treat people respectfully and have a way to raise problems. Health and safety duties and other protections may apply even where employment rights do not. Ask for the volunteer complaints procedure and a person outside the immediate situation if needed. If abuse or exploitation is suspected, use safeguarding support. Do not assume the statutory employee grievance process applies to every volunteer.
Benefits and Access to Work
You can volunteer while receiving benefits if you continue to meet the relevant conditions. Government guidance says to tell the benefits office about planned volunteering before starting, including hours and expenses, and report changes. Reasonable expense payments usually do not affect benefits, but other rewards or unpaid work can. Get individual benefits advice. Access to Work does not fund ordinary voluntary work.
Keep the role genuinely voluntary
You can say that a task or timetable does not work for you and discuss changes, a break or ending the role. Tell the organiser when you can so they can plan safely. If you feel obliged to work fixed hours under threat of a penalty, or are doing what appears to be an unpaid job, ask Acas or an adviser to check your status.
Review what you gain from the experience
Ask whether the role remains enjoyable, useful and accessible. Request feedback and, if helpful, a record of skills or a reference. Volunteering need not lead to employment, and it does not guarantee a paid job. If paid work is your aim, discuss a clear next step rather than remaining in an unsuitable unpaid role indefinitely.
Words you could use
“I would like to volunteer doing … Please explain the tasks, hours, support, expenses and how I can raise a concern. These changes would help me take part: …”
More useful links
- NCVO: find a volunteering opportunity Web page
Find opportunities and local volunteer centres. Check access and role requirements with the organisation.
- GOV.UK: volunteers’ rights Web page
Volunteer agreements, support, training and legal status.
- Volunteering and benefits Web page
Reporting volunteering, expenses and benefit conditions.
- HSE: volunteers’ health and safety Web page
Safety responsibilities and ways to raise concerns.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 1 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- GOV.UK: volunteers’ rights Web page
Volunteer agreements and the distinction from employee and worker rights.
- GOV.UK: pay and expenses Web page
Expenses and payments or rewards that may affect employment status.
- GOV.UK: volunteering and benefits Web page
Benefit conditions, reporting, expenses and unpaid work.
- GOV.UK: Access to Work eligibility Web page
Voluntary work is excluded from Access to Work support.
- NCVO: employment status Web page
Actual contracts and arrangements, including contractual voluntary workers.
- NCVO: inclusion in volunteering Web page
Inclusive practice and limits of Equality Act employment protection for volunteers.
- NCVO: creating a volunteer role Web page
Meaningful, accessible roles and a good volunteer experience.
- HSE: volunteers’ health and safety Web page
When health and safety law applies, duties of care and raising concerns.
- X v Mid Sussex Citizens Advice Bureau [2012] UKSC 59 Web page
The non-contractual volunteer in this case was outside the employment discrimination protection claimed.